13th March: World Cafe in Serbia

World Cafe workshop within the DECORATOR project was held on March 13, 2024, at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Forestry.

A World Cafe workshop gathered 21 experts from various fields, including architecture, the construction industry, wood technology, as well as representatives from the cultural/creative ecosystem, policy/administration institutions, and media. The aim of the workshop was to discuss key topics related to circularity in building environment and the use of wood in construction sector in Serbia.

Participants had the opportunity to discuss three main topics:

Sustainable Construction and Best Practice Examples: This topic focused on the key aspects of sustainable construction projects, including materials, business models, and other relevant factors. (moderator: Milena Kordić, professor, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture)

Main insights:

Sustainable construction projects are very rare in our region.
There are no stimulations to implement sustainable construction or circularity in the building sector.
Business models for implementing circularity in construction are still not recognized.
Banks of materials were also discussed and need to implement them in the existing regulatives was highlighted.duces material changes independently.

2 Challenges in the Use of Wood in Construction: Discussion on this issue focused on the limitations and obstacles preventing wider use of wood as a primary sustainable material in construction. (moderator: Igor Conić, Editor in Chief, Gradnja.rs)

Main insights:

Construction with wood is more expensive and there are issues with wood maintenance. It costs investors more, and buyers perceive they are getting a property of lesser value.
There is insufficient knowledge about proper use of wood, especially among contractors and craftsmen.
It happens that the designer is excluded when the project comes to the execution phase, so the contractor introduces material changes independently.

3. Activities to Increase the Use of Wood in Construction: This topic covered the key steps necessary to increase the use of wood and transition to a more sustainable construction model in Serbia, taking into account environmental, social, and economic factors. (moderator: Maja Lalić, President and Creative director, Mikser.rs)

Main insights:

Creating a strategy to promote the use of wood and circular materials in construction.
Advocacy toward implementation of wood in public buildings.
Creation of databases for circular materials.
Establishing an association or organization specifically dedicated to organizing and implementing these activities.

We can highlight the impression that all participants are very satisfied with the first gathering of local experts on this topic. The workshop resulted in the establishment of good connections and networking among individuals from different fields, who have shown great interest in further work on the mentioned topics.