12.05.2026
Who says practitioners aren't creative? The experts in vocational reorientation at the WQ Foundation impressively proved the opposite on 13 March.
The assignment: Turning the wood cycle into an experience
On Thursday, 12 March 2026, Group 36 of the WQ Solothurn Foundation - nine experienced carpenters and timber construction specialists - received a special commission: the Kuratle Group was looking for concept ideas for its existing exhibition in the Umwelt Arena Spreitenbach to make the previously graphically presented wood cycle an interactive experience for school classes, families and builders.
More about our wood experience in the Umwelt Arena
The wood professionals accepted the project assignment from the Head of Communications at the Kuratle Group with a spontaneous round of applause. They seized the opportunity to contribute their practical experience in a targeted manner. The existing exhibition was analysed, areas measured and impressions gathered.
A compact innovation sprint followed on Friday morning: developing, selecting, elaborating and preparing ideas for presentation - all within four hours. On the same day, seven developed concept ideas were presented to the client.
Seven ideas - seven experiences
The concepts developed were characterised by diversity and quality. Each idea takes visitors by the hand - and makes them the "motor" of the experience. Three selected examples illustrate the creative range.
Wooden circuit - pinball machine
Curiosity is aroused even before entering the exhibition: a notice on the Umwelt Arena ticket entices visitors to enter interactively. In the pinball machine, which brings the wood cycle to life in a playful way, a wooden ball falls out of a treetop when the ticket is scanned.
There are several attempts to complete the journey from the forest to the finished wooden construction. Those who are successful receive a biro from Kuratle & Jaecker as a souvenir. The game generates attention and anchors the content in a lasting way. A physical souvenir extends the experience beyond the moment.
Turn - and become part of the wooden cycle
Grab a hand crank and start turning - a larger-than-life circular saw blade starts moving. At the same time, however, the stations of the wood cycle are also set in motion, one after the other. The wood cycle is abstract - until you turn it.
At the first step, the forest floor comes to life
A darkened area with interactive steps. At the first step, the forest floor lights up. The next, the sound of a tree being felled - chainsaw, wood cracking, silence. Step by step, the floor tells me the story of the wood from felling to processing to the finished product - the wood cycle to experience.
The client's reaction
The feedback after the concept presentations was enthusiastically positive. "I am surprised at how many concepts were created, how broadly the ideas were developed and how creative the approaches are," said Pascal Nussbaum, Head of Corporate Communications at the Kuratle Group.
He added: "You all give the lie to the idea that practitioners are not creative." This statement emphasises the core of the collaboration. The concepts come from practical experience. People with experience in working with wood contributed their knowledge, their powers of observation, their creativity, their understanding of materials and their great solution-orientation.
The WQ Foundation has confidence in its experts - and it is precisely this that repeatedly gives rise to moments in which people surpass themselves.
What counts now
The decision on the realisation of the ideas in the Umwelt Arena lies with the Kuratle Group. For both partners, this result is more than just a single project. It represents a shared understanding: specialised practice and creative thinking complement each other and open up new perspectives for the future of the industry.
About the WQ Solothurn Foundation
For over 30 years, the WQ Solothurn Foundation has been enabling specialists from the carpentry and timber construction sector to find their way back into their industry after illness or accident. The focus is on practical and industry-oriented re-qualification: experienced professionals develop a new perspective in their traditional industry - with the knowledge and experience they have built up over the years.
Through Kuratle & Jaecker, the Kuratle Group and the WQ Solothurn Foundation have been linked for several years by a partnership based on a shared understanding of values and the conviction that investments in the timber industry are worthwhile in the long term.