In December, American Softwoods carried out a trio of educational seminars in Peru (Trujillo, Lima, and Cusco). Lon Sibert participated in the trip and represented Southern Pine. American Softwoods partnered with local schools or universities in each location to educate importers, distributors and design professionals regarding Southern Yellow Pine lumber, structural panels, and engineered wood products.
In Trujillo, representatives visited the Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego. Here, meetings took place with the Dean of the University, the Provost, and the Dean of the Architecture and Engineering Department who expressed interest in designing at least one course focused on wood and engineered wood products in construction applications. The Trujillo seminar had the most attendees with 107, mostly architects. This seminar was the first time several participants became aware that houses and buildings can be made of wood products that can be designed to resist earthquakes. Craving more information, several attendees indicated that they would have preferred a longer seminar.
In Lima, 37 participants attended a two-part seminar held at the School of Architecture (Escuela de Arquitectura de Lima). Part one of the seminar focused on Southern Yellow Pine while part two addressed structural panels and engineered wood products. Participants reported that the information presented at the seminar was extremely useful and expressed the desire for a hand-on portion in future educational seminars in Peru.
The trip’s final stop in Peru was Cusco. Here, American Softwoods partnered with the Cusco College of Architecture to present a seminar to 23 attendees. This was the first time most attendees had been exposed to information regarding Southern Yellow Pine grades, structural panels, engineered wood products, and wood frame construction.
Feedback indicates that educational efforts in the area should continue. There is a country-wide housing shortage in Peru which presents an opportunity for the US softwood market. This shortage could be quickly and economically reduced by using wood products.
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