The Wood App – everything wood, within everybody’s reach

Since the launch of The Wood App (https://thewoodapp.com/), this innovative product of the Department of Forest and Wood Science, Stellenbosch University, has grown from a modest educational platform into a comprehensive resource on all things related to timber construction. After the creation of the website in 2020 by Dr Philip Crafford and Prof Brand Wessels, it has expanded its offering and reach, changing the way that thousands of users think about, design and work with wood.

Exciting growth 

The numbers reflect the platform’s success. From 11,000 users reported in April 2024, The Wood App now boasts 23,000 users globally. While the site was initiated and developed by local wood specialists and aimed at local wood fans, The Wood App currently serves 9,000 users outside South Africa. This growth confirms not only the local relevance, but also the international recognition of the platform’s quality and significance. 

“The response continues to exceed our expectations,” states Dr Crafford, a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Forest and Wood Science. “The continued growth in user numbers, as well as the oversubscription of the in-person courses offered, is very encouraging.”

Online education platform

The Wood App is web based and its content is available, free of charge, to anybody with access to the internet. Currently, 11 online courses are offered. Topics range from basic timber frame or deck building and stress graded timber, to specialised subjects such as sound control in timber buildings, timber in fire and cross-laminated timber design and construction. Each course takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete, and includes interactive quizzes. 

“We are excited to launch a new course, The Fundamentals of Timber Roof Design, soon,” says Crafford. “Our aim is to keep expanding the site, to meet the changing needs of our audience.”

Learning digitally and physically

While the foundation of The Wood App is still its online courses, the platform has successfully grown to include physical workshops. These events are often oversubscribed, with 150 applications received for one course in Stellenbosch, where only 80 people could be accommodated. These in-person courses are CPD accredited for architects.

The workshop calendar for 2025 kicked off with a Timber Frame Workshop in Stellenbosch on 12 February. Of the attendees, 40% were architects and 15% were building inspectors. This illustrates the appeal of the platform to key role-players in the construction industry. Another Timber Frame Workshop was presented in Durban on 2 July.

The 2025 program also included a Deck and Pole Construction Workshop in George on 2 April, and Timber Frame Building, Timber in Fire and Timber Grading Workshops on 8 and 9 September in Pretoria.

Workshop dates for 2026 will be announced soon and will again include events such as Timber Frame Building, Mass Timber Building and Integrating Sustainability into Design using Wood, in and around South Africa’s major cities. 

Industry support and recognition

Without the strong backing from the industry, the platform’s success would not have been achieved. The creation of The Wood App was made possible by the financial support from Sawmilling South Africa, the South African Wood Preservers Association (SAWPA), and Fibre Processing and Manufacturing (FP&M) SETA. It has also enabled The Wood App to continue to offer its online products for free.

The platform is making measurable contributions to professional development in the timber industry, with more than 250 CPD certificates issued to architects and 500 online courses completed to date.

Looking ahead

The vision of The Wood App is to support and inspire local designers, developers, contractors and DIY’ers to use wood.  The platform aims to create a learning environment that combines theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills. High quality online courses are continuously developed and added to the website. These resources are complemented by practical workshops, offering a comprehensive educational package to all wood enthusiasts.

For more information, or to subscribe to the quarterly newsletter, please contact info@thewoodapp.com. 

To explore courses, workshop schedules and resources that cover “all things wood”, visit https://thewoodapp.com/