THE ROAD TRAVELLED

I still remember the day I have approached my professor Carlos Caldera from the Politecnico di Torino asking him to support me in writing my thesis about timber construction.

I still remember also the difficulties I have met in finding a company for my thesis, until the professor himself approached the company Nord Legnami Abitare in order for me to find a place. In there I found a company environment that took me back to my childhood. You know those memory deep down inside of you that you seemed to have forgotten until a switch helps you out? Well that was my case. The wood specimen, the dust, the machinery noises pushed me to my lifetime in my grandfather carpentry. Where a young and innocent boy was hanging around adults just to be able to play in the dust. Don't get me wrong, I played but then I was selling it to the chicken to the chicken farmers. Well memory awaken equals to love deepened. Indeed this solidified my interest for the timber engineering field. 

I still remember with a big smile the long loud applauses that I received after the presentation of my thesis. The smiling faces of all those people approaching me although not there for me, but curious about my subject and pressuring me to say more about it. And naturally the question: "Don't you think that timber building will burn easily?"

Of course I do remember the long dried period after my thesis searching for job and there came an opportunity to participate in a professional course organized by Promolegno. I did not have the money but my dream couldn't accept excuses from me. I have written then an email to Loredana Deagostini from Promo-Legno, explaining to her how grateful I would be if she allows me to attend the courses about the construction of multistory buildings in CLT panels, in exchange of any services needed during the courses. She accepted. So I was going there earlier in the morning, helping by any means necessary, I will then attend the course and stay after to clean up. 

Eager to learn more, I started looking for job at the same time also for some available master thesis in timber construction. I was determined, one way or other I was going to enter the field. One day out of nothing, I found the course of master of engineering in timber technology  between Switzerland and Germany given by the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) and the Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences (RH). Also here, late, without a penny I used my fingers and wrote another email, and somehow I got the admission on top of that I even got a scholarships. Everything was set by the grace of God. After six months in Rosenheim, I and some others colleagues went to Biel in Switzerland to complete our program. 

I have been in many towns in my short life I still have a lot of others to visit but by now the city of Biel also called Bienne for French speaker in the region of Bern in Switzerland got my heart. In that small city 21.21km2, you will find wonders because I did find it. A lot of wonders are condensed in that small city, there you can do business, witness a lot of cultural event, I have been to so many of those such as the new year at the beach, the community festival and so on. In there you surely can do business. Architecture is also well established there, matter of fact the Omega watch headquarter was designed by Shigeru Ban the Japanese architect. I used to pass by while the construction was still going on, and I can tell you that, it is a wonderful realization and you should, let me rather say that you must visit it, I'm convinced that you are going to love it as much as I did. Not only because Shigeru ban has a great touch as an architect and of course because it is a timber realization. In that small city you will find mountain, you will find rivers and a great diversity of people. I do particularly like rivers, sit down and watch them flow. I have heard somewhere that the water you touch today in a river will never be the same you'll touch tomorrow, although it is the same river. You could lend your thoughts and troubles to the flowing rivers and watch them flow away knowing that they'll never come back if you let them go. Well  phenomenon of river  is somehow like life, no day is ever the same even though we call them days.  In Biel I have learned to appreciate mountains as well, the calmness and serenity that they  could provide. I don't know your source of serenity but if you visit Biel, please let me know how you feel about it.

Well After Biel, I have to collect my ideas, because I surely wanted to stay and live there, everything was perfect but maybe I wasn't. So I came  back to Italy, I have travelled next to Berlin in order to improve my knowledge of the German language. I came back to Italy, then I started having different interviews in different countries. You know that it means a lot of money to be invested. I have had interview with LignoAlp in Italy, I have been to Munich, in Austria to visit for almost a week the KNAPP GBMH Verbinder company, and I must confess that there I found wonderful and humble people. Sir Knapp himself gave me a wonderful impression, a very hard working man. When the times is right is just right, matter of fact I got an offer from all those interviews. At last I have made made the choice to work with the main core of timber construction of the group Bouygues Construction IDF.

So here I am now, and I will share with you my dream about the timber construction, I visit construction sites, companies, seminars in order to bring and share with you this engraving passion of mine. It is a journey that has started a long time ago. Indeed, let me reproduce to you the letter I wrote to Loredana DeAgostini:

"Imagine this small black kid, growing up in a small village. One day they go farming using a wooden canoe to cross the river. On their way back home, there is sudden rain, they stopped and find shelter under a tree. After a while they headed back home. Once reached there, they warm water on wooden fire, they bathed while the women are busy cooking the meal on wooden fire with wooden tools. They all sit then for dinner around a wooden table, eating in wooden plate After dinner, they all sit around the fire to listen fables from the grandfather. Yeah, I was among them. " 

Wood has been always part of me and now being part of the timber construction field is a natural continuation of myself and I shall share more with others.