For over 20 years the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has been at the forefront of wood promotion in Europe, successfully building a distinctive and creative brand for U.S. hardwoods. AHEC’s support for creative design projects such as The Wish List, Endless Stair and The Smile, for the London Design Festival demonstrate the performance potential of these sustainable materials and provide valuable inspiration.

AHEC pioneered the environmental impact assessment (EIA), an approach that has since been adopted by other industries. This measures a number of impacts: primary energy demand (from renewable and non-renewable resources); global warming potential; acidification potential; eutrophication potential; and, photochemical ozone creation potential.

@ahec_europe

Waugh Thistleton is a research-oriented practice dedicated to designing buildings and places of the highest architectural quality that also acknowledge their impact on the environment. The studio practices sustainability in the widest sense of the word, focusing not solely on energy in use, but on embodied energy and longevity. The team believes passionately that sustainability and world-class design solutions should be one and the same thing.

Its holistic approach is based on the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle. Striving at every point to produce innovative and imaginative design solutions that harness leading technologies, the quality of its buildings and its commitment to the use of timber construction has earned them an international reputation in environmentally sustainable architecture and design.

@waughthistletonarchitects

Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the world’s most prominent projects in the built environment and across industry. With over 80 offices in 35 countries Arup has more than 13,000 planners, designers, engineers and consultants delivering innovative projects across the world with creativity and passion.

@arupgroup

Lighting design goes beyond the distinction between functional lighting and ornamentation; it is about shaping human perception itself, creating atmosphere and defining focus to unlock hidden qualities in architecture and expand its possibilities. From their London-based studio and their outpost in Bangkok, SEAM Design provides independent architectural lighting design services to clients, architects and other design consultants located around the world. Supporting this diverse global portfolio is their experienced team of designers, whose professional and academic backgrounds touch all aspects of design, going beyond core competence via exceptional interests in experimentation, emergent design and technologies. SEAM has been a supporter to The London Design Festival and annual design partner to LDF's talented artists and architects since 2011.

@seamdesign

INTERNI is the leading Italian magazine for interiors and contemporary design, reporting on innovative trends and the modern culture of living for an international audience. Human Spaces is the title of the much-anticipated exhibition-event conceived by the Mondadori Group magazine, edited by Gilda Bojardi, that will take place during the FuoriSalone, from 8 to 19 April, in the courtyards of the University of Milan, at the Orto Botanico di Brera and at the Arco della Pace. INTERNI asked leading protagonists of Italian design, as well as international designers and architects to address the issue of Human Spaces, in collaboration with companies, multinationals, start-ups and institutions. The result is an extraordinary collection of installations and design islands, micro-architecture and macro-objects, all site-specific, that interpret the places, landscapes contexts and, by extension, media and objects that place at the centre of their vision the wellbeing of people. 

Stage One are a creative construction and manufacture company working within the architecture, theatre and events industries. Collaborating with some of the world’s most creative minds, they have constructed each of the Serpentine pavilions since 2009; worked with RSH+P on a Prouvé House; manufactured complex façade panels for Zaha Hadid’s Chanel pavilion; and built Thomas Heatherwick’s iconic London 2012 Olympic cauldron. they combine innovative design, engineering and technology to deliver astonishing impact on a global platform.

@stageoneltd

The London Design Festival is a key constituent of London’s autumn creative season, alongside London Fashion Week, Frieze Art Fair and the London Film Festival. Established in 2003 its role is to celebrate and promote London as the world’s design capital and gateway to the international design community and it has now established a reputation as one of the largest and most exciting design events in the world. This year the Festival will run from 15-23 September and over 400 events and installations will be on offer across the capital, from an exciting programme at the V&A to plus over 300 partners who will participate in the nine-day Festival.

@L_D_F

Glenalmond Timber Company is a third generation family run business with over 90 years of experience; employing a team of professionals, highly experienced across all disciplines within the timber industry. Their Methven factory houses the latest finger jointing technology, CNC detailing and moulding lines. They can engineer and detail large section glulam and CLT projects, modular building components, feature trusses and bespoke prototyping. They also operate a quay and distribution facility on Perth harbour with the largest low-pressure treatment facility in the UK where their in-house stevedoring team can accommodate vessels of over 4000m³.

@glenalmondtimber

CSIC supports Scotland’s construction related businesses to innovate, collaborate and grow by matching innovation requirements with business support and academic specialists. Focusing on Business, Product, Process and Service forms of innovation, CSIC offers advice, funding, facilitation and access to the appropriate expertise, improving Scotland’s global competitiveness and growing economic impact. CSIC facilitates collaboration with Scottish businesses, academia (through 13 partner universities) and public sector organisations, enabling businesses to benefit from Scotland’s world-renowned skills, expertise and fair approach to business in areas such as Infrastructure Delivery, Offsite Construction, Low Carbon Solutions, Architecture and Retrofit.

@CSotIC

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The Museum holds many of the UK's national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance. 

Established in 1972, Atrium is the UK’s largest independent lighting specialist. With a reputation for enhancing clients’ projects through the skilful application of artificial light, they add value through outstanding service, support and a unique portfolio of products enabling them to create complete and diverse lighting solutions across different market sectors including retail, commercial, hospitality, residential and public buildings.

@atrium.ltd

Allegheny Wood Products

Allegheny Wood Products (AWP) were founded in 1973 with a single sawmill in Riverton West Virginia. AWP have since grown into one of the largest producers of American hardwoods with nine sawmills located around the Appalachian hardwood region with a production capacity of 230 million board feet (542,731m3) and a dry kiln production capacity of 100 million board feet (235,970m3). They produce lumber from all of the popular Appalachian timber species and, as well as hardwood lumber, AWP also produce hardwood dimension stock and pellets.

www.alleghenywood.com/

Baillie Lumber Co.

With 19 sawmills and 17 dry kiln locations Baillie lumber is one of North Americas largest lumber manufacturer, distributor and exporter and are well placed to serve the principle North American shipping routes and seaports. Baillie is at the heart of where the hardwoods are and are well positioned to serve major North American customers, as well as shipping to markets overseas. Baillie is a provider of logs and lumber products to customers around the globe.

www.baillie.com

Bingaman Lumber Inc.

Bingaman have five Pennsylvania locations in the heart of the Appalachian growing region. The BING label assures customers around the globe that they are receiving consistent Bingaman & Son lumber Inc. quality. As well as supplying high quality lumber, Bingaman make high quality Glulam beams that are tested in laboratories in the USA and Europe, laminated window scantlings and are one of the few lumber companies that produce thermally modified hardwoods for high performance outdoor wood products such as cladding and decking.

www.bingamanlumber.com

Boss Lumber Corporation

Boss Lumber Corporation is part of a group of companies operated by Tamalsa which is located in Valencia, Spain. The group is family owned and has been involved in the lumber business since 1903. In 2006, Boss Lumber Corporation was established in the USA creating a company in Virginia in the heart of the Appalachian mountains. Boss Lumber are able to ship mixed lumber containers with different species, thicknesses and grades with very little notice.

www.bosslumber.com

Classic American Hardwoods

Only founded in 2001, Classic American Hardwoods have grown very quickly into one of the largest concentration yards in the USA. Formed initially on an old abandoned 17 acres in North Memphis the company now encompasses 43 acres. The air drying yard is capable of drying 5 million board feet at any given time and 16 drying kilns can produce a total drying capacity of one million board feet. Lumber exports have become very important to Classic American Hardwoods in the last few years, since 2006 they now have customers in 27 different countries

 www.cahmemphis.com

Collins Hardwood

Collins are a multi-faceted, family owned timber and sawmill business that has been in continuous operation for over 160 years. Hardwoods are cut at two sawmills in Richwood West Virginia and at Kane in Pennsylvania. These two mills cut all Appalachian hardwoods for the domestic and export markets. The 120,000 acre FSC certified Collins Pennsylvania Forest produces many of the finest hardwoods in the world including the highly sought after Allegheny Black Cherry. In addition to hardwoods Collins also produce softwood lumber products and a range of Particleboards.

www.collinsco.com/hardwood

Latham Timber

James Latham stock a huge range of timber based products. The core range is wood based sheet materials and joinery quality hardwoods and softwoods which the sell from their 10 nationwide distribution depots. James Latham first began importing hardwoods into Liverpool in 1757 and are the oldest timber importing company in the UK. Lathams regularly support AHEC with donations for structural projects such as MultiPly

www.lathamtimber.co.uk

Northland Forest Products

Northland Forest Products (NFP) is a hardwood processor and distributor producing their own exclusive high quality brand of hardwood lumber for markets in the USA as well as 26 countries around the world. Founded in 1970 but with a family history that dates back to the late 19th century, NFP continues to be a family run business that is committed to excellence and innovation. They were one of the first lumber companies in the USA to see the potential in and invest in thermal modification technology (TMT) which is sold under the Cambia brand.

www.northlandforest.com

Northwest Hardwoods

Northwest hardwoods have grown from the small beginnings of one Alder mill in 1967 to become one of the largest timber operations in the whole of the USA with over 30 facilities across the U.S., including 17 manufacturing sites and 11 warehousing and distribution points that produce 14 species of North American hardwoods. They offer species and grades from all of the North American growing regions. They have a wealth of experience in shipping and are committed to export sales of high quality hardwoods to the Far East and to Europe.

www.northwesthardwoods.com

Parton Lumber

Parton Lumber are located in North Carolina and has achieved constant growth since the company was formed in 1949. It is still a family owned company today. To achieve their growth and success Parton Lumber has evolved from a Softwood sawmill to a company that also produces Appalachian red and white oak and Tulipwood for the domestic and export markets. Parton Lumber are one of AHEC’s newest members.

www.partonlumber.com

Thompson Hardwoods Inc.

Based in Georgia, Thompson Hardwoods Inc. are one of the top 10 largest lumber sawmills in the USA and have been processing Southern Hardwoods and Cypress since the inception of the company back in 1957. Thompson Hardwoods Inc. have an average inventory of 112 million board feet of kiln dried lumber available for domestic or export markets. Thompson Hardwoods Inc. can also supply railway sleepers and pallet material.

www.thompsonhardwoods.com