2010 Western Conference

Conference Schedule Day By Day

The Main Event

A detailed schedule can be found here. We will provide details on talks as we receive them.

Friday, April 23

• Ma Bing-jian: Eight Characteristics of Chinese Traditional Timber Frame Architecture
  
  Mr. Ma will give an illustrated presentation showing examples of the following:
  1. Timber post and beam frame supports the weight of the roof. Even if the in-fill walls collapse, the frame will stand.
  2. Buildings are constructed on an above-grade platform foundation. A building has three elements: foundation, post and beam wall frame, and roof
  3. There are many variations in roof structure.
  4. Building parts are cut with appropriate joinery before assembly.
  5. The roof surface is curved, with overhanging eaves.
  6. The dimension of all building parts is fixed by a certain ratio based on the size of one member. For example, post diameter or bracket arm size gives the basic unit of size and all other parts are a specific ratio to that unit size.
  7. Bracket sets with their special function.
  8. Decoratively carved beams, with colors, symbols and patterns.
  In addition, the design of a building — including siting and layout of interior space — uses geomancy (feng shui), and concepts about harmony and principles of nature.
  
  Ma Bing-jian's biographical information is on the Conference home page.

• Greg Robinson: Creative Collaborations — Architecture, Timber Framing, and the relationship between craft and design
  
  Since 1996, Greg Robinson, AIA LEED AP, has been designing award-winning custom homes and structures for Cascade Joinery. This collaboration has resulted in a diverse portfolio of buildings that are hard to classify but easily recognizable. Many forces influence the ultimate outcome of a project but it is a commitment to good design process that creates the opportunity for projects to stand out. The ongoing day-to-day dialogue between architect and craftsman has resulted in a continually evolving practice that responds to lessons learned along the way. This presentation will outline the evolution of design and craft at Cascade Joinery over the years through a series of case studies, and it will communicate how projects benefit when architects, engineers, timber framers, and builders successfully collaborate.
  
  Greg Robinson joined Cascade Joinery (Bellingham, WA) in 1996. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Design from North Carolina State University and a Master's in Architecture from the University of Washington. While a graduate student, Greg traveled and studied historic preservation in Norway. Prior to joining the Cascade Joinery team, Greg worked as a field architect rehabilitating historic structures for the National Park Service in Mount Rainier, Rocky Mountain, and Grand Canyon National Parks. Greg's work has won multiple NWAIA design awards and been featured in numerous publications.
• Lisa Sasser: Dumb Buildings, Smart Buildings and Wise Buildings — Why Preservation Matters (add photo)
  
  Since the 1960s, the historic preservation movement has been a genuine grassroots success story, mobilizing activists against wholesale destruction of architectural heritage associated with urban renewal and highway infrastructure creation. In 1980 economist John Kenneth Galbraith commented, “The preservation movement has one great curiosity. There is never any retrospective controversy or regret. Preservationists are the only people in the world who are invariably confirmed in their wisdom after the fact.” As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, some question whether the historic preservation movement is still relevant and vital in the face of new environmental, demographic and economic challenges. This presentation will focus on reexamining some of the core ideas and concepts of the preservation movement in new and evolving contexts.
  
  Preservationists have traditionally viewed the world in terms of saving old buildings. It is time for the preservation movement to absorb some of the lessons of the environmental movement and broaden the focus from preservation to conservation — not just of buildings, but also of communities, livelihood and sense of place. Winston Churchill observed, “We shape our buildings, thereafter our buildings shape us.” Just as buildings have embodied energy, the best of them contain the embodied knowledge of the people, traditions and skills that created and sustained them over time.
  
  Lisa Sasser, AIA, LEED Green Associate, is a historical architect and preservation specialist. She has worked in preservation since 1972, including 30 years with the National Park Service. She is a graduate of the Texas Tech University College of Architecture and the National Park Service historic preservation trades training program. Since 1987, she has helped to develop training programs, and instructed workshops in preservation philosophy and hands-on preservation methods for federal agencies, universities, and state and local groups. Publications include the articles “What Historical Architects Can Learn from the Preservation Trades and Why They Should: New Paradigms for Preserving Old Buildings,” and “Setting Up a Preservation Workshop“ in the journal CRM. Lisa is a founding member and past President of the Preservation Trades Network, and current Board and Executive Committee member of the Timber Framers Guild. In 2001, Lisa received the Askins Achievement Award, presented annually by the Preservation Trades Network for significant contributions to the preservation trades.
• Dave Bueche: Wood, Fire and the International Building Code
  
  This session is a discussion of the use of wood in noncombustible types of construction including fire-retardant-treated wood technical characteristics and building code related applications. Emphasis is placed on the requirements of the International Building Code. Codes limit the applications of combustible materials on the basis of fire and life safety. The question is then, are there options available to using wood in lieu of a noncombustible material. Fire-Retardant-Treated Wood (FRTW) provides that option. Codes recognize FRTW for many applications where a noncombustible material is mandated. A few applications allow FRTW in lieu of one-hour ratings.
  
  With more than 30 years of experience in academia and industry, Dr. David Bueche brings a unique perspective to his programs. In addition to his hands-on experience as a carpenter, superintendent, and project manager, he has been a research scientist at Colorado State University, taught college courses in construction technology and forest products, was a field representative for APA — The Engineered Wood Association, and an applications engineer for the American Galvanizers Association. He serves on NFPA Committees that develop standards on the performance of materials in fire and in building construction, is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, and is a past board member of the Forest Products Society.
• Michael Hollihn: Mind Body and the Spirit of Timber Framing
  
  Some of us have had the great opportunity to experience the focused mind of the Japanese timber framer. This mind-set did not come about by accident, but rather is a conscious discipline. Carl Jung said, “What is not met by consciousness is met by fate.”
  
  The mind/body connection is now taught at all levels of society here in the West. It is the new cutting edge of consciousness that brings success into our daily lives. We are becoming ever more aware of our mental habits, thought patterns, and physical strengths and weaknesses. We clean our bodies, rooms and dishes each morning. Why not clear and focus our minds and prepare our bodies for a more productive and less stressful day?
  
  People are ready for change and ready to take responsibility for their own mental and physical states. Timber framers are, for the most part, a class of individuals who are not usually guided by fears and the status quo. We are living in a time of uncertainty, great transformation, and global change. The ability to adapt, handle stress, and make decisions with a clear mind and to focus this mind on solution-based steps in the days and months ahead is the key to success both personally and within our communities.
  
  Any tools and techniques to help during these times of transformation will prove to be the foundation and stepping stone to further success. The martial cultures of ancient China and the spiritual cultures of ancient India have perfected mind/body techniques that have proven to fine tune an individual to near perfection both mentally and physically. The great innovative sense of the Western mind is taking these ancient techniques and using them to forge a better society in our local communities and places of work. It is my strong personal feeling that this information will create an even stronger guild of master timber framers here in North America.
  
  Michael Hollihn owns and operates Prana Timber Frames in British Columbia. Five years ago, he injured my lower back operating a manual sawmill. As it was a work-related injury, he had to make a compensation claim with the government health care system. The physiologist he reported to asked if he wanted to heal his back with or without drugs. He said without, and the physiologist wrote a yoga and a Pilates video on the prescription pad. He chose the yoga video and his back has never been as strong as it is today. He hopes to share his journey of healing and strength with participants.
Scout Wilkins: Who's in Charge Here, Anyway?

Have you ever worked on a job where the foreman and the crew didn't see eye to eye, everything was a struggle, and nothing was as easy or as fun as it could have been? Contrast that with the memory of a job where respect was rampant, the foreman knew what was needed and gave clear directions, the crew became a stellar team, the work just flowed and a beautiful home was built.

Can you relate to feeling that same experience inside? Are there times when you know you are in the flow, and great results come effortlessly, and other times when you feel like your own worst enemy, and just can't seem to make anything work? When you know where you want to to be, but just can't seem to get there?

There is actually very clear science behind all this, which matches what spiritual teachers have been offering for centuries. The relationship between your inner mind, or crew, and your conscious mind — the foreman — is the basis for all your results, whether you like them or not. And it is well within your power to improve the quality of that relationship dramatically.

This seminar will present some basic facts about how people filter information and hold beliefs and memories. Then we will use these facts in very simple ways to change how you see yourself and your future. You can become the true “Foreman” of your life. You can direct your life toward your dreams, achieving great results fluidly and effortlessly.

This seminar isn't about worklists or time management or self-discipline. Neither is it therapy. This is simply about identifying your core, unconscious decisions and beliefs, choosing NEW beliefs the will serve you far better, and learning to install them at an unconscious level. Harness your own inner power.

The techniques are simple, and the results can be profound. Come and see. If you came to this talk in Coeur d'Alene, I definitely invite you to return and go much deeper.

After the session, participants will:
1. Understand the physics and physiology behind how we create and are responsible for our own reality;
2. Have a greater understanding of and respect for the power of internal representations &3151; pictures, self talk, etc. — and be prepared to use those with greater volition, with a specific take-home plan;
3. Understand the power of and have far greater access to their unconscious thoughts and intuitions;
4. Recognize limiting beliefs that are holding them back from achieving their goals, and have tools in hand to change them;
5. Have a simple, proven method for creating incredibly compelling goals, and installing them as “memories of their future,” creating an unconscious drive to achieve them.
As time allows, there will be a discussion of how these tools, once mastered on an individual level, can be used in a company to achieve greater alignment in movement toward organizational goals.

Scout Wilkins is a charter member of the TFG, and has served as a board member and VP; coordinated multiple conferences; and attended and organized TFG projects across the U.S. and Canada. She and Wil Wilkins founded and ran Timberhouse Post and Beam in Montana for 10 years, before selling it to pursue other interests. Scout was the Executive Director of the TFBC for four years, leaving that position to study the mind and human potential.

She absolutely loves her current work, helping people create lives of passion and peace and achieve their dreams, by releasing their unconscious patterns and programs, and opening up to the possibilities that lie beyond.
• Merle Adams, Jonathan Orpin & Friends: In These Economically Challenged Times — Innovations and Insights
  
  There is no longer a debate about whether or not there is a recession. The discussions now revolve around how deep it will go, how long it will last, and how to get to the other side. Timber framing companies, like every other segment of the building industry, are facing cancelled projects, quieter phones, and difficult layoffs. All of us are sobered by the situation. We are working hard to develop creative strategies and helpful coping mechanisms.
  
  In this panel discussion, we will discuss the conceptual and specific steps they have put in place. You will be able to ask questions and offer your own discussion points. It would be difficult to imagine anyone leaving the room without additional strategies and new perspectives for success (and failure!).
  
  This seminar was previously given at the Timber Framers Business Council Education Seminar in South Carolina and at the Guild's 2009 Eastern Conference, with a varying cast of characters. Comments ranged from “Not enough time, would like to have this continued,” to “I want to work for these guys!” It's not known whether that person was hired.
• Albert Rooks: Certified Passive House Design and Construction
  
  Certified Passive House Design and Construction shows great promise as one of the solutions to global climate change. The Passive House Design approach offers a reduction of heating and cooling load of approximately 80% from standard construction, and a further 70% reduction below Energy Star values. While there are only 15 completed homes in the U.S. using this design approach, there are more than 15,000 completed projects in Europe and this approach is growing quickly to be the norm. This Passive House presentation is intended to be a basic introduction to the methodology of Passive House Design and Construction.
  
  Currently President of WestCoast Associates, Inc., a sales and marketing company representing manufactures of specialty cabinet and builders hardware, Albert Rooks regularly leads sales meetings that are education-based in the presentation of new products and new approaches in woodworking applications. He founded the Small Planet Workshop, LLC, to develop the potential of applying the Certified Passive House Standard in the Pacific Northwest. A goal of the Workshop is creating a system to build modestly priced homes using a timber frame enclosed by a cellulose-filled wall panel.
• John Van Bruggen: Marketing 101
  
  How do prospective frame buyers choose between timber frame companies that all make the same thing? Ever thought about that? How did you choose your last major purchase? I'll bet it was some form of advertising. It may have been a radio ad, a TV spot, a billboard, or advice from a trusted friend.
  
  How many of you ask your clients where they picked up your contact information? Typically, they remember exactly where because they have been wading through different forms of advertising before they make contact.
  
  How many of you feel like your company has the ability to grow, but just can't figure out how? Have you maximized your marketing potential? Do you know what makes your company different from your competitors? It is time for you to find out.
  
  My name is John Van Bruggen, President of Clydesdale Frames Co. in Hutchinson, Kansas. I have a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from Sterling College. The only job I ever had that I enjoyed was swinging a hammer. Working my way up from grunt, to framer, to trim carpenter, with more yards of concrete behind me than I care to remember. I realized that I loved the building trades. I love the men and the women who work in the trades; I love how the scenery changes. I love the anticipation of new projects, and I love the feeling of a job well done.
• Clark Bremer: Timber Frame Joinery and Shop Drawings with SketchUp™
  
  This presentation is an overview of Clark's more in-depth, hands-on Pre-Conference workshop. The presentation will open with a demonstration: the creation of a set complex shop drawings from an existing model, to show how easy it is if you have laid the proper groundwork beforehand. Participants will then learn the basics of Sketchup while building a simple timber frame model from scratch. This model will not include joinery, but will be suitable for getting feedback on the design from the client. Clark will then discuss how to customize Sketchup for timber framing using Ruby plugins (developed by the instructor).
  
  Finally, there will be a detailed example of how to create a timber frame model that can be used for creating shop drawings. The following broad points will be covered:
  • Timber Component Libraries. Discuss and demonstrate the use of component libraries to quickly assemble a frame from pre-defined timber components.
  • Joinery Libraries. Discuss and demonstrate how to create new timber components using pre-defined joinery components, which are used to expand the timber component library.
  • Joinery Creation. Discuss and demonstrate how to create new joinery components for expanding the joinery library.
  • Shop Drawings. Discuss and demonstrate how to create precise, four-sided shop drawings automatically. We will then polish them off with dimensions, and shop notes.
  
  
  Participants will leave the seminar with a list of resources, including:
  • Where to find general tutorials for using Sketchup
  • Where to get the timber frame ruby scripts
  • Where to get joinery and timber libraries
  • Where to share their timber and joinery components with the rest of us

Trade Fair Mixer/Reception: Featuring suppliers for the timber frame industry who will display their products and services and explain in detail how they are used. Meet those who support our craft in the field, including panel suppliers, tool vendors and wood brokers. Don't miss the Mixer Friday in the Trade Fair area. The Timber Frame Business Council (TFBC) organizes the Trade Fair. If you wish to exhibit, contact the TFBC at 888-560-9251, or info@timberframe.org.

Slide Show where you can show your finest work. Download the information for submissions.