THE American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) is to conduct a free seminar this month called ‘Designing and Working with American Hardwoods’ in Dubai, targeting architects and interior designers in the UAE.

The high-impact event, which will take place on September 26 from 7 to 9 PM at the Park Hyatt hotel, will revolve around educating attendees about the wide variety of American hardwood species as well as their important environmental credentials and their importance in sustainable design, says Roderick Wiles, AHEC director for Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania.
AHEC is positive of the impact of the seminar given that American hardwoods are well established in the Gulf and have been specified in many high end private, commercial and public projects, he adds.
The event will centre around two presentations, given by Criswell Davis, sustainable hardwood design consultant and Bob Sabistina, hardwood technical consultant and will be geared towards architects and interior designers, as well as manufacturers who use hardwoods in the production of furniture, flooring and joinery.
Davis will provide in-depth information on the US hardwood forest and its environmental credentials, as well as on the variety and commercial availability of American hardwood species and the potential they offer for design and end use in the Middle East.
Sabistina will provide an introduction to the grading of American hardwood lumber according to the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) rules, which will include a practical demonstration.