WoodPoP back at the 29th International Wood Construction Conference in Innsbruck

WoodPoP back at the 29th International Wood Construction Forum

Innsbruck, Austria – On 3 December 2025, the European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP) returned to the 29th International Timber Construction Forum to host the Prologue V, organised by WoodPoP’s Technical Working Group on Building. This year’s Prologue focused on “Health & Well-Being in Timber Buildings”. Under the theme “Integrating multisensory experience and health effects of wood from living labs into building design”, the event brought together experts from industry and trade, science, teaching, research, politics and administration to discuss the effects of wood and wood products contribute to healthier, more sustainable living and working environments.

Moderated by Veronika Steinhofer-Juch (IUFRO) and Martin Behrens (FNR), the Prologue opened with remarks from Georg Rappold (Austrian Ministry / Chair of WoodPoP), who emphasised rising public awareness of timber as a climate solution and the need for stronger cross-sector collaboration to unlock its full economic and environmental potential.

MBurnard Opening_CLinayao
Weisboek-Erdheim Keynote_CLinayao
Meissnitzer Keynote_CLinayao

Keynote speeches from Dr Mike Burnard (InnoRenew CoE), Dr Renate Weisböck-Erdheim (Paracelsus Medical University), and Christine Meissnitzer (SIGES Massivholzbau) demonstrated how wood affects comfort and health across multiple senses — while calling for intentional design choices and more long-term evidence.

Participants then took part in an Interactive wood sensation lab, examining the effects of wood use indoors across olfactory, haptic, visual, and anthropological dimensions facilitated by experts from Holzforschung Austria, InnoRenew CoE, and the University of Helsinki.

After the interactive session, these experts, including Tuula Jyske (University of Helsinki), Mike Burnard (InnoRenew CoE, University of Primorska), Boris Forsthuber (Holzforschung Austria) and Petra Seebachner (proHolz Styria), shared reflections from these experiments, underlining the need for intentionality in using wood in interiors and interdisciplinary collaborations and long-term studies to have a fuller picture of human-wood interactions.

Mike Burnard (InnoRenew CoE, University of Primorska) and Jaakko Jussila (University of Helsinki) then showcased Living Labs as a way to monitor buildings and occupants together, helping scale solutions that support user well-being in everyday settings. Gerhard Grüll (Holzforschung Austria) stressed that safety must always come first, highlighting innovations in coatings, durability, maintenance methods and circular economy approaches to ensure clean, resilient and long-lasting timber interiors.

Closing the Prologue, Kirsten Haggart (Waugh Thistleton Architects, UK) presented on biophilic design, arguing that timber buildings must not only decarbonise construction — they must help people feel, live and work better, advancing both environmental and social goals.

This year’s Prologue V demonstrated that timber is more than a building material – it is a pathway to healthier spaces. The Prologue V has emphasised the need for collaboration between science, design, and policy to unlock timber’s full potential and finally realise Europe’s vision of a clean and competitive transformation.

In the coming weeks, a Policy Brief will be developed by the TWG Building highlighting policy recommendations on how to further support the impact of wooden buildings on human health and wellbeing.

Presentations from the IHF 2025 Prologue V: "Health & Well-being"

Please find the presentations below:

  1. Keynote 1: “Our environment affects our health: how can wood help improve our wellbeing?” by  Michael Burnard (InnoRenew CoE, University of Primorska, SI)
  2. Keynote 2: “How strong is the evidence that indoor wood affects public health?
    Lessons learned while conducting a Systematic Review” by Renate Weisböck-Erdheim (Paracelsus Medical University, AT)
  3. Keynote 3: “Bridging Medicine and Sustainable Architecture” by Dr. med. Christine Meissnitzer (SIGES Massivholzbau, AT)
  4. Post-interactive session presentation: “Understanding the visual impacts of wood on human well-being” by Tuula Jyske (University of Helsinki, FI)
  5. Post-interactive session presentation: “Sensing Wood: Haptics of wood surfaces” by Boris Forsthuber (Holzforschung Austria, AT)
  6. Post-interactive session presentation: “HEART – Health, Architecture & Tourism” by Petra Seebacher (proHolz Styria, AT)
  7. Hyytiälä Forest Station & Living Lab for Sustainable Wood Construction and Human Well-being by Jaakko Jussila (University of Helsinki, FI)
  8. Living labs for wood & people by Michael Burnard (InnoRenew CoE, University of Primorska)
  9. Perspectives and challenges for new applications of wood by Gerhard Grüll (Holzforschung Austria, AT)
  10. Looking ahead: Biophilia – a cognitive and emotional experience by Kirsten Haggart (Waugh Thistleton Architects, UK)