THE American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), the leading international trade association for the American hardwood industry, will be participating at gulfBID exhibition this month to explore the opportunities within the growing interior design and construction sector in Bahrain, following a 70 per cent increase in exports to the country.

AHEC will also be hosting a seminar on ‘Designing and working with sustainable American hardwoods’, targeting interior designers, architects, importers and wood-working professionals in Bahrain and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Set to take place on the second day of the exhibition, the seminar 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. Criswell Davis, AHEC’s architectural marketing consultant, will provide in-depth information on the US hardwood forest and the US’ long history of good forest governance.

Davis will also talk about the variety and commercial availability of American hardwood species and the potential they offer for design and end use in the Middle East. AHEC officials are 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.

“This seminar offers an excellent opportunity for architects, interior designers and other industry professionals to gain a more in-depth understanding of the unique characteristics and advantages of American hardwoods,” says Roderick Wiles, Ahec director for Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania.

Furthermore, the event is designed to allow for full audience participation, thereby offering a unique opportunity for anyone coming into contact with wood products to learn about American hardwoods at first hand from industry experts, he says.

“Through his presentation, Criswell will also aim to demonstrate the efficiency of the rules used to grade American hardwoods, and their environmental credentials amidst the growing demand for assurances that wood is both legal and sustainable,” he adds.

AHEC is the leading international trade association for the US hardwood industry, representing the committed exporters among US hardwood companies and all the major US hardwood production trade associations. The council runs a worldwide programme to promote American hardwoods in more than 50 export markets, concentrating on providing architects, specifiers, designers and end-users with technical information on the range of species, products and sources of supply.

Last year, the total value of imported American hardwood lumber into Bahrain increased by a significant 70 per cent to $340,000, bolstered by the entry of over BD614 million ($1.628 billion) worth of new construction projects.

“As the construction industry sees large-scale progress, American hardwoods, with their great variety of colour, grain and character, and remarkable colour contrasts, offer a wide range of design options for architects and specifiers within this rapidly growing sector,” says Wiles.

He says, given their unique and interesting properties, American hardwoods have become the preferred choice of the international design community for high-end interior projects such as public buildings, hotels and corporate offices as well as private homes and many of the species available from the US are making it into Bahrain’s most recent developments.

About the local business scene, Wiles says: “Bahrainis are getting back to business, which is  helping to  restore confidence amidst a relatively difficult year across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. Bahrain is demonstrating stable growth, which we believe marks an important turning point for the kingdom’s economy as customers, manufacturers and other industry players become active again.

“As we continue to monitor increased demand for American hardwoods across the Mena region, we will be undertaking further initiatives to highlight the exemplary qualities of American hardwoods and how using them can benefit the furniture, construction and other industries in the region. Through our seminar, we aim to engage specifiers and manufacturers and help them make more informed decisions,” he adds.

Commenting on the participation of the AHEC at gulfBID, Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director of the exhibition organiser HCE, says: “AHEC’s participation at gulfBID is important because of the product range, knowledge and expertise that they bring to the event, which is of interest to many of our visitors and some of our exhibitors. Their involvement helps to underline gulfBID’s importance as the annual exhibition for the construction industry in the Northern Gulf, which is taking place at a time when construction projects in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are contributing to re-energising the building sector in the two kingdoms.”