The Kuratel family, friends, speakers and conference sponsors enjoy a pre-conference get together.
By Joy Crane
The annual Wood Conference in Cape Town is the only timber-focused event in South Africa that has brought together a network of over 1000 people from diverse professions and interests. It is presently one of the most important industry gatherings for sustainable construction in the country.
How did this happen?
During a holiday visit to South Africa from Switzerland, George Kuratle promised his friend, Hannu Garny, that he and his business partners would organise a conference in Cape Town championing timber as a sustainable building material, and that he would do so for 10 years.
Hermann Blumer of Création Holz also played a key role from the outset. He and George wanted to advance modern timber construction worldwide and make its constructive and ecological potential visible. They initiated the first Wood Conference South Africa in 2011.
That was 15 years ago. George’s son and third-generation successor, Roger Kuratle, took over when he retired and continues the extraordinary dedication of creating a platform that connects international expertise and local knowledge and innovation. Although George is retired and, in a wheelchair, he steadfastly attends each year.
For 15 years delegates at the Wood Conference received a huge slab of chocolate.
Ecosystem
The popularity and impact of the conference cannot be understated. Each year, the audience of architects, engineers, designers, academics, manufacturers, quantity surveyors, developers and sawmillers is inspired by new insights, technologies, and real-world possibilities of using wood in the built environment.
Roger refers to the Kuratle Group as a “timber-based ecosystem” that combines trade, production, logistics, and real estate development, offering comprehensive timber solutions from a single source.
Read the full story here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/february-2026-issue-56/5/