4th General Assembly meeting in Izola, Slovenia
From 21 to 23 April, WoodStock came together at the InnoRenew CoE premises in Izola, Slovenia, for its 4th General Assembly. Hosted by the University of Primorska, the gathering brought project partners from across Europe together to take stock of progress, and shape what’s ahead.
The assembly opened with the team sharing key achievements, ongoing challenges and upcoming milestones. The meeting was set at the InnoRenew CoE's flagship building — the largest wooden structure in Slovenia — setting an inspiring backdrop for the days ahead. These sessions are essential for aligning efforts across the consortium and for keeping the project on track towards its overarching goals.
In the ‘WoodStock lessons’, where the team share their findings, the central theme was about closing the loop and bringing wood back into productive use. This remains a challenge and a shared motivation for finding solutions throughout the project.
One team member captured this perfectly: "Wood is good. But… it doesn't grow on trees."
Co-creation took centre stage on the second day. Partners visited the Archaeological Park San Simon on the Slovenian coast, where archaeologists shared their needs for the site, which is shaped by sea views, strong winds, mosaic heritage, and the need for shade. After hiking back to InnoRenew CoE, architect Aarne Niemelä presented how the Roman site is being approaced , before the team rolled up their sleeves to sketch, design and build models for the site. Guided by New European Bauhaus values — beauty, sustainability and togetherness — the session was a vivid demonstration of what cross-disciplinary thinking can produce.
The final day turned to the project's educational ambitions. A session on the NEB Academy, led by Andreja Kutnar, was followed by a hands-on workshop to develop training materials for the NEB Lab. Partners also explored early concepts for WoodBook, one of the project's upcoming tools. The atmosphere throughout was one of openness, creativity and shared purpose.
The General Assembly wrapped up with renewed energy and a clear sense of momentum, each meeting bringing the WoodStock consortium one step closer to its goal of developing climate-smart solutions for sustainable wood construction.
