Structural Timber Magazine - Issue 36

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Welcome to the latest issue of Structural Timber Magazine. As timber continues to be reflective of the global trend for more sustainable building and living, we include several examples of how this is being done with the help of innovative thinking and 21st century automation.

imber is an ancient building material as we all know with enormous carbon reduction benefits. But the role automation and increasingly robotics play in driving efficiency and precision is huge. Following an investment of over £10million, Donaldson Timber Systems have revamped its Witney facility with the installation of stateof-the-art Randek machinery to streamline the manufacturing process, up capacity, improve performance and reduce overall waste. Four years in development, the site is being championed as the ‘most advanced automated pre-insulated closed panel wall production line in Europe’.

The timber sector has been historically slow at adopting new technology and digitisation, unlike the wider offsite construction sector. News that works are well underway at Pasquill’s Redhill site, with the installation of the Randek AutoEye automated truss manufacturing system, emphasises that times are changing. A £4million investment will increase the number of trusses manufactured but also allow more complex trusses to be produced in significantly less time.

Gary Ramsay | Consultant Editor

Innovation is at the centre of all those shortlisted for this year’s Structural Timber Awards. The judges never find it easy to whittle down the entries and it’s an eye-opener reading about the ways in which the built environment is being transformed by timber technology. We now look forward to the evening itself – 2 October, NCC Birmingham – remember this will be a special 10th Anniversary celebration, don’t miss it.

Since the last issue we have had a change of Government. Hopefully the new Labour regime will bring some much-needed stability and focused policies to the UK. A Planning and Infrastructure Bill expands on Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledge to “get Britain building again”, with mandatory housebuilding targets. Can more timber frame help? STA CEO Andrew Carpenter believes the established structural timber manufacturing sector of its 120 members could deliver as many as 100,000 homes per annum – a huge slice of the 300,000 target – and a major step forward in creating more sustainable and healthier places to live.

Thanks to all our contributors, advertisers and supporters for their help this issue. It is always hugely appreciated. 

Email: gary.ramsay@structuraltimbermagazine.co.uk

We are always looking for the latest industry news, people appointments and project case studies using all types of timber systems and products. For use both in print and online please send them to me at the contact email above.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of B&K Structures. As one of the UK’s leading sustainable frame contractors, they are leading the way in the design and delivery of structural timber and hybrid builds.

UK Industry News

A quick round-up of some recent news stories from the timber and construction sectors that you may have missed including: Pasquill ready for the installation of the Randek AutoEye truss manufacturing system, works begins at 3 Copper Square and James Jones & Sons celebrate the 25-year anniversary of its timber systems division in Forres.

24 The Timber Opportunity of a Lifetime

As the STA, TDUK and Confor jointly grasp the reins to deliver the Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap, what’s next in its implementation? Andrew Carpenter, STA CEO explains more.

28 Timber Routes to Net Zero

In partnership with the STA, the 2024 Structural Timber Conference was a busy day that provided various perspectives and case studies on the role timber is playing across the built environment.

32 Balancing Act

Jeremy Ralph, Founder and Director of Evolving Forests, discusses how refocusing our approach to timber could reap rich rewards for the UK’s forestry and construction sectors.

36 A Study in Net Zero

The term ‘net zero’ is familiar to many but it can mean different things to different people. Mark Brown, Consultant at TG Escapes outlines why it is so important to the education sector.

40 The Formula for the Future

Following an investment of over £10million, Donaldson Timber Systems has increased capacity and boosted technical capabilities at its Witney facility.

46 Automating Environmentalism

Richard Hawkins, Technical Innovations Manager for Sevenoaks Modular, picks out some ways that timber and natural fibre insulation are providing modular construction with massive carbon benefits.

50 Get Prepped for the EUDR

With the EU Deforestation Regulation soon entering force, Maggie FitzHerbert, Senior Responsible Sourcing Manager at the Soil Association, outlines how to prepare.

56 Structural Timber Awards 2024

Hot off the judging tables, the finalists have been chosen. Find out which projects, people and products are in the running for one of this year’s prestigious awards.

64 Optoppen – a no brainer?

Adding timber to existing buildings using lightweight roof extensions in mass timber can deliver massive carbon and construction benefits. Kelly Harrison, Director at Whitby Wood reveals how.

66 Rising Timber: Lowering Carbon

Johanna Pirinen, SVP, Sustainability and People & Culture, Wood Products Division, Stora Enso, illustrates a few ways we can cut construction’s role in global carbon emissions.

50 Years Strong

This year marks the 50th anniversary of B&K Structures (BKS). As one of the UK’s leading sustainable frame contractors, they are leading the way in the design and delivery of structural timber and timber-steel hybrids.

Having begun their journey in 1974 specialising in steel fabrication, they added structural timber to their portfolio in 2007 and invested in a steel manufacturing arm in 2021. Now, with 50 years of combined experience, BKS deliver the full expert package – in timber, steel and hybrid solutions.

Since 2007, BKS have been pioneers of timber innovation, with extensive specialist experience designing and delivering both structural timber and hybrid projects. Driving innovation across all major sectors, their diverse expertise and growing portfolio showcase the potential these sustainable solutions can bring to increasingly large and more complex projects. Today, they operate in five main sectors – commercial, industrial, education, retail and leisure – but continue to explore evergrowing opportunities across every sector.

“Over the last 50 years we have delivered over 500 structural timber, steel, and timber-steel projects across the UK, in all major sectors,” says Alex Brock, Pre-Construction Manager at BKS. “However, hybrids – integrating both materials – now account for a significant proportion of our work. We are seeing an increasing demand for these timbersteel hybrids which combine both the benefits of this solution and our significant experience.”

Hybrid construction is one of the most promising solutions for increasing timber specification in the UK, while pragmatically selecting the right material in the right place. As Alex says: “Ultimately, the adoption of timber is crucial if the UK is to meet its net zero targets –but outside of the numerous sustainability benefits, there are many more reasons to choose a hybrid approach.”

The appetite for timber in the commercial sector is growing year on year, and high-profile commercial projects are helping to reshape the landscape. Timber-steel hybrids have also become a favoured solution in commercial retrofits, redevelopments, and refurbishments – where

 Beech Court Pavilion at Abingdon School

 Arding & Hobbs, Clapham Junction

timber’s lightweight strength offers significant advantages. Recent BKS examples include: The Gramophone Works, Technique, and Walworth Town Hall, where a hybrid approach allowed additional storeys or new refurbished spaces to be economically added and tenant capacity to be increased, without the need for significant strengthening of the existing superstructure. Other large-scale commercial projects – such as Metropolis and Paradise, both delivered by BKS earlier this year – are receiving significant media attention, bringing timber excellence to the public consciousness, and making strides for its use across other sectors.

In recent years, BKS have contributed to numerous outstanding education schemes, with timber and timber-steel hybrids proving to be excellent solutions for schools and universities. One notable project is Fife College, a state-of-the-art learning campus designed as a Net Zero Carbon Pathfinder. Using a hybrid CLT, structural steelwork, and Deltabeam solution, Fife College aims to be Scotland’s first net zero tertiary education building, saving 25% of the embodied carbon typically expected in a structure of this scale. Currently, it is the largest Deltabeam and CLT hybrid project in the UK. The BKS team have designed and delivered almost 9,000sq m of CLT and over 1,400 tonnes of structural steelwork to create a sustainable campus for more than 4,500 students and faculty members.

The leisure sector is another mainstay of BKS’ work. Spelthorne Leisure Centre – the UK’s largest ‘wet and dry’ Passivhaus leisure facility – employs a hybrid structural concept, using a load bearing CLT external wall with a steel exoskeleton and internal structural steelwork and glulam. Significantly, Spelthorne Borough Council expects the new building to use 60% less energy than a typical modern leisure centre. Similarly, Cozenton Park Sports Centre is a new generation leisure centre designed and built to meet exceptionally high

“Over the last 50 years we have delivered over 500 structural timber, steel, and timber-steel projects across the UK, in all major sectors. However, hybrids – integrating both materials – now account for a significant proportion of our work. We are seeing an increasing demand for these timber-steel hybrids which combine both the benefits of this solution and our significant experience.”

Alex Brock, Pre-Construction Manager at BKS

Charlton WorkStack, London

 Cozenton Park Sports Centre, Rainham

 Fife College, Dunfermline

standards of energy efficiency and sustainability, replacing a 30-year-old facility with a highly insulated but elegant timber and hybrid steelwork structure.

“Looking to the future,” adds Lee Roberts, BKS Pre-Construction Director. “Our upcoming projects are years ahead in terms of what structural timber can achieve when compared to traditional materials. Notably, BKS are now working with industrial developers in the same way we once worked with retail clients almost 20 years ago – looking at incorporating timber into the industrial market and giving clients the confidence to build with a lower embodied carbon footprint.”

Charlton WorkStack is a recent example. Drawing inspiration from a ‘logstack’, the project breaks the mould of ubiquitous ‘tin-shack’ industrial units. The overlapping, cantilevering workspaces – progressively increasing in size – utilise the lightweight strength of CLT to create much-needed office space on a reduced and compact urban site. Innovative, flexible, and commercially successful, the project is a trailblazer for re-industrialising our cities with timber and is the UK’s first light industrial building of its type and scale.

In 2021 BKS also acquired a state-of the-art steel manufacturing facility – a significant investment which has not only doubled turnover but guarantees in-house supply for their steelwork and hybrid projects, allowing them to take on larger and more complex schemes. Growing year on year, they have recently opened a new satellite office in Manchester, as well as expanding into other regions of the UK, to continue driving the hybrid revolution outside of London.

Now a £50million business, their team has grown to over 150 staff – including structural engineers, draughtsmen, project managers, and a dedicated sustainability team – with over 25% of staff having worked at the company for over a decade, and a third joining through apprenticeship schemes. BKS are proud have delivered some of the most iconic timber projects in the country and be pioneers in the construction industry; with 50 years of experience delivering timber, steel, and hybrid projects on behalf of some of the UK’s largest clients.  www.bkstructures.co.uk



DTS Announce Landmark EPD

Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS) has become the first timber frame manufacturer to offer a published, third party accredited environmental product declaration (EPD) for its product, proving its sustainability credentials. As part of a process to cover the full DTS product range, the DTS Alpha system is the first offsite assembled timber frame wall panel in the UK to offer an approved EPD.

The EPD, which transparently communicates the environmental performance of a product over its lifetime, demonstrates the benefits building with timber can bring. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of Alpha is a carbon positive, –1.53kg CO2e, meaning that 1.53kg of carbon is stored in every m2 of Alpha external wall. For a typical four-bedroom detached home built using Alpha, 250kg of carbon is stored in the timber frame elements of the external walls alone, not including the timber floors and roof trusses.

This product lifecycle assessment supports carbon emission reduction by making it possible to compare the impacts of different materials and products accurately, allowing customers to select the most sustainable option. In comparison to the Alpha wall panel, according to the EPD produced by the Concrete Block Association (CBA), the cradle-to-grave GWP impact of 1m 2 of aggregate concrete blocks is 10.6 kg CO2e. So, for the same standard fourbedroom detached home, 4,000kg of carbon is released into the atmosphere. Based on these figures, if the UK were to build the new Government target of 300,000 homes per year in timber frame as opposed to concrete, it would reduce annual carbon emissions by over one million metric tonnes – the equivalent of the fossil fuel generated electricity needed to run 500,000 homes for a year.

Valid for five years, the EPD is based on current available and published data for end-oflife assumptions. With advances in the industry over the next five years, along with improved building recycling processes and ongoing DTS investments – such as the recent PV panel installation in the factory at Witney – it is expected that performance will be even higher at the next review. Alpha is the first of 16 base EPDs being worked on by DTS, covering the full product range of floor, wall and roof systems.

John Smith, Technical Director at Donaldson Timber Systems, explains: “The only way to achieve the UK target to be zero-carbon by 2050 is to firstly measure, and then reduce the whole-life carbon of buildings, from cradle to grave. The availability of EPDs is an important step in recognising this. Without measuring and reducing embodied carbon, there is a very real risk that the new buildings constructed to new standards in 2026 and beyond won’t achieve true zero carbon, as the embodied carbon in the fabric will never be offset by using even the greenest energy to run the home.”

Alex Goodfellow, CEO of Donaldson Offsite added: “We always champion the use of offsite timber frame construction as the best way to achieve sustainable building practices and meet net zero targets, so it’s fantastic to have a verified EPD to prove these claims. We’re seeing increasing numbers of customers asking for EPDs, as they look to meet carbon goals, and need to be able to prove that the products they specify are making a difference. We’re proud to be leading the industry with proof that timber frame is a carbon sink, and we’re already working on improvements to show further benefits when we review the EPD in five years’ time.” www.donaldsontimbersystems.com

NEWS IN BRIEF

High Heights Low Carbon

Vancouver City Council has amended its building bylaw to allow for mass timber buildings up to 18 storeys from 12 storeys. The Hive, a 10-storey office building and will soon to stand even taller in the skyline with changes approved by Vancouver council. Tall timber continues to proliferate internationally as UK projects have stalled post-Grenfell.

Fresh Mass Timber Supply

Blumer Lehmann has begun the production of CLT and glulam in various qualities and dimensions. The Swiss wood specialist is expanding its product range with two new lines. The glulam production line is expected to be commissioned in September 2025 with the first CLT expected to be available by June 2026.

New ‘Controversial’ Timber Book Published

‘Timber! How wood can help save the world from climate breakdown’ is “set to cause controversy in the conservative world of construction and in the more traditionally minded elements of the environmental movement.” Author Paul Brannen advocates the use of timber in buildings wherever possible but also developments including wood farming and agroforestry.

New £45million Derby Timber Factory

Barratt Developments is set to create 170 jobs when it moves to a new £45million factory in Derby. When fully up-to-speed, the factory will produce 4,000 timber frame kits a year, which will go to sites across the country. Building more homes offsite will help Barratt to meet the 2025 Future Homes Standard.

Net Zero Event Held in Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Timber Trade Association brought the timber industry together at Holyrood to host a reception about driving net zero awareness and timber’s benefits to the economy. Confor, TDUK, and the STA joined more than 40 timber businesses to meet with MSPs and discuss the critical role timber plays in the economy.

Timber Square in London Frame

A new development that will transform a huge slice of Southwark, London is set to use significant amounts of timber to address both construction and operational carbon emissions. The Print and Ink buildings are being transformed by developer Landsec working alongside Mace and Bennetts Associates. Approximately 33,730sq m of PEFC certified CLT will go into the buildings.

Structural Timber is the Sustainable Key to Delivering Labour’s 1.5 Million Homes

In response to the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament, the Structural Timber Association (STA) is calling on the new Labour Government to recognise that delivering its manifesto pledge of building 1.5 million homes will require a significant change in focus and a rapid shift towards more sustainable building technologies, primarily offsite timber frame.

In her first speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves underlined the new Government’s commitment to housing, announcing that it will reinstate mandatory housing targets for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) and will open a consultation on a new approach to planning before the end of the month, to support delivery of 1.5 million homes over the next five years.

To meet this demand for homes and achieve our net zero obligations, we need to embrace change. Change in how we build, the materials we use, and the way we attract new people into the construction industry.

this contribution of 33% of the Government’s target would be a major step forward.

Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer of the STA, commented: “The STA wholeheartedly supports The Chancellor’s ambitious plans for housing growth, but we must emphasise that simply building more houses is not enough – we must embrace a fundamental change in the way we build our homes. As a clean technology that

“The structural timber industry has the capacity and capable to support the new Government in building 300,000 homes a year. With increased automation in offsite manufacture, the structural timber sector can deliver both higher volumes and better quality. Indeed, many of the major housebuilders are already recognising that we’ve reached a tipping point within the industry, with companies including

and therefore structural timber, at the forefront of supporting Government in the delivery of their housing goals. The policies put in place now will have a significant impact on the UK’s ability to deliver housing targets, great places to live and reducing carbon to achieve net zero. This will be the legacy for decades to come. We urge Government to renew the commitment to increasing the use of timber in the Timber

last year – some important progress

New robotics at Donaldson Timber Systems

Hundegger’s Robot Drive Stands the Test of Time at InWood Developments

InWood Developments has been a long-time operator of the state-of-the-art Hundegger Robot Drive. The Robot Drive enables InWood to offer a full CNC engineering for all types of structural timber projects.

This excellent machine provides the flexibility to offer standard components right through to complex bespoke structures to a range of clients. The scope for architectural design flexibility and uniquely manufactured buildings is immense.

All the machine service capabilities are backed up by an in-house design and 3D modelling team who can work through the most minute details in customer requirements prior to manufacture. The process provides the client with an intricate 3D design for review and approval prior to manufacturing commencing. This saves a huge amount of time on-site during the installation process in avoids many problems through forward planning.

InWood have a wealth of experience in building both traditional and complex structures throughout the UK but specialise in finding structural solutions to fit in with all architectural designs. In addition, InWood offer an in-house finger jointing and structural lamination service across a wide variety of softwoods and hardwoods, as well as modern modified timbers such as Accoya.

InWood manufacture their own glulam beams, and these feature largely in its CNC product line. With modern methods of construction (MMC) expanding they can design large structures under its offsite manufacturing process to deliver entire buildings, engineered and manufactured to exacting tolerances through the Hundegger Robot Drive. These buildings are fast to install, hugely energy efficient and offer an excellent carbon reduction process in today’s climate conscious environment. 

If you are seeking any advice in the engineered timber sector you can reach out to the InWood team at: info@in-wood.co.uk www.hundegger.com www.in-wood.co.uk

Me and my Hundegger! Never change a winning team!

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Innovation in timber engineering

3 Copper Square Work Begins

BAM has started construction on the first office building, 3 Copper Square, at Brent Cross Town, the 180-acre, £8billion mixed use park town development in North London targeting to be a net zero carbon town by 2030.

The building, designed by shedkm architects, will provide 239,000sq ft of office space over 14 floors plus flexible retail space at ground level. It forms the cornerstone of a new business and innovation district that will create workspace for up to 25,000 people – alongside the 6,700 new homes, student housing, homes for later living, a new high street, three schools and 50 acres of parks and playing fields.

Sheffield Hallam University is setting up its first university campus outside Yorkshire at Brent Cross Town and will be the anchor tenant. The University

will occupy around 110,000sq ft across the lower six floors of the building. The University’s London campus will provide tailored support to help businesses to innovate, with access to sector expertise from academics and highly skilled graduates. It will also act as a conduit to strengthen links between South Yorkshire and London, creating new opportunities.

The building is an innovative hybrid cross laminated timber (CLT) and concrete structure with exposed timber soffits that soften the lighting and acoustics and connect the working environment to nature to provide inspiring, creative, flexible and collaborative workspaces. An expansive double height reception offers easy access from the station entrance and a striking penthouse with a double height vaulted roof provides views across North and Central London.

Matt Flood, Head of Commercial Development at Related Argent, said: “The start of construction at 3 Copper Square marks a massive step forward in creating a new business and innovation district at Brent Cross Town. Brent Cross Town is an extraordinary opportunity to deliver a new neighbourhood founded on health and sustainability, where businesses can flourish. This inspiring new hybrid timber and concrete-framed building will provide expansive workspaces that energise and connect. With access to state-ofthe-art sporting facilities, a vibrant new High Street and engaging public realm, Brent Cross Town is where talent will choose to be.”

Rod Stiles, BAM London Region Director, said: “We’re excited to begin another chapter in our 30 year-long partnership of working with Related Argent and continuing

to build on our previous successes of delivering transformative projects. 3 Copper Square aligns perfectly with our own values of building a sustainable tomorrow and leaving a positive impact on the communities where we build, and we look forward to delivering this thriving new neighbourhood with our partners.”

Funding for the building is provided through the Related Argent and Barnet Council partnership, in addition to NatWest providing a £62.7million Green Loan. A Green Loan is lending which is dedicated to sustainable projects that demonstrate strong environmental performance. As part of the net zero park town, 3 Brent Cross Town is targeting EPC A and BREEAM Outstanding. 3 Copper Square is scheduled to open in Q3 2026.

www.bam.com

NMITE Launch ‘Woodland to Workshop’ Course

From September 24-26, 2024, New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) will partner with Woodland Heritage to deliver an unparalleled educational experience. This course is designed to bridge the crucial gap between tree growers and wood users, offering comprehensive insights into the entire timber lifecycle. Highlights will include:

• Expertise in Timber Technology: Building on our successful Timber Technology Engineering Design (TED) courses, NMITE brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong reputation in the timber industry.

• Hands-On Learning: The course is hosted at Whitney Sawmills and NMITE’s Herefordshire campus, ensuring an interactive and immersive learning environment.

• Sustainable Solutions: NMITE Assistant Professor Steve Bertasso emphasises that: “Timber and woodlands need to sit at the centre of sustainable solutions now and in the future.” This course will explore how timber can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment.

NMITE recently announced a further major charitable donation as it continues its growth. The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust has

agreed to make a grant of £3.5million to fund the construction of a new landmark building and extensive redevelopment at NMITE’s Blackfriars campus, including a new main entrance, courtyard and remodelling of much of the interior space. The new building will be subject to the usual planning process, but construction is expected to begin in early 2025.

James Newby, President & Chief Executive of NMITE, said: “This is a wonderful recognition of the work we have been doing to develop NMITE and extend opportunity to young people across Herefordshire, the Marches and beyond. We will now be able to fully deliver our vision to make the NMITE site a centre for learning, industry partnerships and public discourse. This new investment will create a landmark building in Hereford and will greatly assist our plans for future growth.”

NMITE has a track record of delivering innovative buildings, notably its Skylon campus completed in 2022. This exemplar of sustainability houses NMITE’s nationally renowned Centre for Advanced Timber Technology and multiple learning studios and workshops. It is used by students, researchers, industry and the community as a hub for learning and professional development.

www.nmite.ac.uk

Former Army Base Gets Smart Help From Above

Smartroof’s offsite manufactured modular roof system is showing its versatility having been chosen for a series of homes as well as two apartment blocks at a new housing development in Folkestone.

Formerly the MoD Shorncliffe Garrison Barracks, Officers’ Mess at Shorncliffe Heights has been designed by FCS Limited for developer Taylor Wimpey. It comprises 44 new homes including one and two-bedroom apartments, and three, four and five-bed homes. Smartroof’s panelised ‘room in roof’ system has been specified for four standard home plots within the development and is being used for the first time across two apartment blocks.

For the four homes, Smartroof provided an eaves to ridge and gable to gable system with timber dormers and enhanced U-values to both the roof cassettes and gable spandrel panels.

The specification for the three and half storey apartment blocks provided Smartroof with the perfect opportunity to showcase its revolutionary ‘room in roof’ system on a much larger scale. It is typically used for the creation of roofs on detached, semi-detached and terraced homes.

For the largest two storey homes, Smartroof would normally supply 10 panels. However, when presented with the challenge of delivering an offsite produced ‘room in roof’ system for these two much larger apartment blocks, the company rose to the challenge. The team engineered the system to make it compatible with this larger scale application, demonstrating the versatility of off-site manufacture. The roofs required 46 panels across three separate roof sections.

Designed with hipped gable ends, it was critical for the team at Smartroof to maintain adequate fire resistance and separation

within the roofing voids. The Smartroof system lends itself well to effective firestopping at party walls. The factory manufactured pre-insulated spandrel panels meet fire rating requirements and will act as a fire break and maintain fire compartmentation within the apartment buildings roof space.

The controlled environment of the Smartroof offsite fabrication facility meant the technical team could achieve the architect’s design with millimetre precision both in terms of the compound cuts and fabrication particularly when it came to the two hip ends. Designed and manufactured at the Smartroof factory in Derbyshire, the prefabricated roofs were then delivered to the Folkestone site, craned into place and installed by the Smartroof team.

Commenting Lewis Catt, Buying Manager from Taylor Wimpey said: “Smartroof’s offsite manufactured roof system provided enormous

advantages for both the homes and apartment blocks. By moving roof construction offsite into a controlled factory setting, Smartroof enabled significant safety improvements and accelerated project timelines. Overall, the Smartroof modular system is an exceptional roofing solution that delivered the reliability, quality and quick turnaround the project needed.”

Commenting on the modular roofing system at Officers Mess, Kevin Sherlock, Managing Director at Smartroof said: “We were delighted to be able to meet the challenge of these much larger roofs on the Officers’ Mess apartment buildings. This project demonstrates the versatility of our Smartroof system whilst the controlled environment of the Smartroof offsite fabrication facility reduced the hours working at height dramatically.” www.smartroof.co.uk

ACTIS

Game Changing System Slashes

Window Installation Time By 75%

Eurocell has launched a system that will transform how windows are fitted into timber frame properties, by taking just two days for all windows to be installed on a block of four terraced houses during a project in Inverness.

Eurocell’s InSite system, comprising a specialist hinge, sealant, cavity barrier and either Eurocells’ Logik or Modus window profile, allows windows to be installed into wall panels during the manufacturing process rather than on-site. The hinge is fastened to the cavity barrier of a fully glazed Logik or Modus window, which is then fitted and secured into the timber panel cavity before being transported and installed on site into a property.

InSite doesn’t just allow for a sustainable construction process that speeds up installation, it is the only window system suitable for timber frame that has been

fully tested to prevent the spread of fire and smoke from, or to the cavity – making it a game changer for the industry. The system also reduces onsite disruption and health and safety concerns as installation of windows can be carried out from inside the building. This eliminates working at height or having to move windows around on scaffolding.

The product’s purpose has been proven by a project with affordable housing provider Places for People where the construction of a block of terraced houses in Stratton, Inverness, was required swiftly and efficiently to control costs and accommodate residents promptly.

Eurocell’s Logik window profiles were manufactured at Pinefield Glass in Elgin, on the north coast of Scotland. Here they were integrated with the InSite hinge and cavity barrier before being fixed into timber panels at Kirkwood Timber

Frame in Sauchen, Aberdeenshire.

The InSite hinge enabled flat transportation of the windows in the timber panel to the construction site in Strattonwhere it took just two days for them to be fit in the properties, on a project that would typically take more than a week if windows were fit on site.

Speaking on the launch of InSite and the success of one of the first projects for the new product, Angus Cowie, Business Development Manager at Eurocell said: “Time saved is crucial in the construction process, and our InSite product has demonstrated exactly why we have brought it to the market in our recent project with Pinefield Glass, Kirkwood Timber Frame and Places for People.

“The efficiency throughout the construction process has been remarkable. Not just down to the system itself but the incredible

collaboration among all parties involved. The windows were seamlessly integrated, roofs installed, and buildings insulated in a swift process that was needed to support the overall project’s needs for speed and cost-control. The fact we’ve also had it fully tested to prevent the spread of fire and smoke from, or to the cavity, makes it a revolutionary product - plus it has been approved for use in accordance with the NHBC guidelines.”

Malcolm Thomson, Managing Director, Kirkwood Timber Frame Ltd added: “InSite simplifies the fitting and transport of frames, speeds up delivery to the site, and quickly provides a watertight building for the end client. It enhances efficiency and supports sustainable construction by minimising heat loss and air leakage. InSite is a game changer.” www.eurocell.co.uk/insite

New Weather Barrier System for OSB & Plywood

US Manufacturer Arclin has launched Arctek® Dryshell™ overlay technology for OSB or plywood sheathing boards. It will allow board manufacturers to offer their customers the UK’s first integrated weather barrier system and provide a cost-effective alternative to house wrap for timber framed homes.

“The timber frame house market is predicted to grow by as much as £150million by 2026,” said Brian Adams, Senior Director of International Business at Arclin. “Adding Arctek® Dryshell™ to wood panels will not only allow board manufacturers to add value to their existing products but will help them to expand their market share in this lucrative and growing market. The benefits of Arctek® Dryshell™ are considerable. By adding it to their boards, manufacturers can help their clients reduce costs by effectively removing an entire stage of the construction process, while increasing home performance and reducing risk. It means products made using boards with Arctek® Dryshell™ will have considerable appeal to housebuilders and developers, and as a result, the added-value boards are less likely to fluctuate in price than the raw material.”

Unlike traditional housewrap that is installed on-site as part of the construction process,

Arctek® Dryshell™ is thermally-bonded to sheathing boards used for timber frame walls and roofs, SIP systems and cassettes. As a result, products made using boards with Arctek® Dryshell™ are quicker to install and the properties built using them are weatherproof before they arrive on-site, without the risk of performance being compromised by tearing. Arctek® Dryshell™ is a precision-engineered

overlay that can usually be applied by board manufacturers using their existing machinery, so requires no investment in additional technology or outsourcing. Arclin will provide technical support regarding press schedules and materials testing to ensure board manufacturers can achieve the factory precision required.

https://arctek.arclin.com

Pasquill to Boost Capacity With Randek Automation

Work is underway at Pasquill’s Redhill site in Surrey, in readiness for the installation of the Randek AutoEye automated truss manufacturing system. Pasquill is one of the first UK truss rafter brands to invest in Swedish company Randek’s AutoEye and the installation of the new system will help to increase capacity at Pasquill and improve safety on-site.

The £4million investment will see the installation of the AutoEye system, which will boost the capacity of trusses manufactured from the site while allowing more complex trusses to be produced in significantly less time. While the system itself won’t be installed until November, work is underway now to prepare the groundworks ready for the machinery.

The AutoEye system helps to streamline the production process by visually identifying the joints in the truss, then picking, placing, positioning and pressing

the nail plates with the required force, which is determined by the machine. The AutoEye system will offer up to a 50% time saving during manufacturing, which will support demand during peak periods.

Its semi-automated setting process will ensure the quality of Pasquill’s trusses remains high, as human interaction is still required during the early stages of manufacture. However, with a long-standing construction skills shortage in the UK, it is hoped that automating the truss production process will free up workers at the Redhill site, allowing them to continue with other projects in the business.

Until now, Pasquill’s Redhill site has been operating at full capacity, but the introduction of the AutoEye technology will see the site significantly expand their capabilities, allowing for approximately double the output for the same amount of labour. The introduction of the AutoEye will also increase safety within the

factory, as it will reduce the amount of manual labour required by the Pasquill team, with the bulk of the truss production process controlled by the AutoEye Truss System. With zero manual set-up required, trusses produced from the Redhill site will be more accurate and will be manufactured well within the recommended tolerances.

Its automated plate placement and pressing, combined with a nailing bridge system removes the need for working at height, further increasing safety for the Pasquill site teams. With the system being located at Pasquill’s Redhill site in Surrey, it is ideally situated to minimise transport costs to the South East of England, saving time and money for both Pasquill and their customers.

Chris Powell, Sales and Design Director at Pasquill, said of the investment: “By investing in this level of automation, Pasquill are proving their commitment to delivering higher quality products which are cost-effective to both the

business and our customers. We are proud to be the first business in the UK to receive the Randek AutoEye Truss system. We look forward to the installation of the automation system, and seeing the benefits it brings to us as a business, our customers and the wider house building industry.”

Gordon Young, Randek UK Director added: “Return on Investment is of paramount importance, both in the short and long term. The true savings become evident when you consider that the AutoEye has the highest accuracy and consistent output on the market, minimised production downtime, and zero setup time due to the reliability of a Randek line. In their investment decision, they prioritised output and safety, and selected Randek. With years of industry experience, we understand that inexpensive quick solutions rarely yield worthwhile returns.”

www.pasquill.co.uk

Closing the performance gap to meet thermal targets

Achieve specified thermal performance with stone wool insulation that helps to close the thermal performance gap – supported by independent testing.

The new ROCKWOOL Technical Bulletin details:

• The results of independent thermal testing

• How ROCKWOOL stone wool insulation knits together to form a continuous insulating layer

• How ROCKWOOL products can contribute to improved thermal performance

Market-First Application for CLT

Knauf Insulation has earned additional Agrément certificates by the BBA for its rainscreen insulation product ranges, including a market-first for applications using cross laminated timber (CLT).

Rocksilk® RainScreen Slab now has the industry’s first and only Agrément certificate by the BBA for use with CLT.

In addition, OmniFit® Slab 35 and OmniFit® Roll 34 have been issued an Agrément certificate by the BBA for use as insulation between the studs on timber and steel-frame conventional walls, in new and existing domestic and nondomestic buildings, with a masonry outer leaf, or in a ventilated rainscreen cladding system.

“We know how much specifiers and contractors value the peace of mind that comes from an Agrément certificate,” said Luke Davies, Product Manager at Knauf Insulation. “Adding this application for use with CLT means our Rocksilk® RainScreen Slab is certified for the most build-ups of any rainscreen solution on the market. For the first time, contractors and specifiers can choose a certified solution for insulating rainscreen façades from a single insulation manufacturer, using Rocksilk® RainScreen Slab for the outer leaf and OmniFit®

Slab 35 for the inner leaf. This provides crucial assurance in a high-risk application.”

Rocksilk® RainScreen Slab is a noncombustible rock mineral wool slab with Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification, which means it complies with the strictest requirements of Approved Document B for dwellings over 18m tall. It is available in a wide range of thicknesses up to 250mm, with a thermal conductivity of 0.034W/mK.

The OmniFit® range of non-combustible glass mineral wool slabs and rolls also have Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classifications, making them

equally suitable and compliant for dwellings over 18m tall. These products can all be used as part of a rainscreen façade system.

Rocksilk® RainScreen Slabs are also the first sheathing insulation products to carry the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) verification mark, providing greater confidence that the information given for these products is clear, accurate, accessible, unambiguous and up-to-date.

www.knaufinsulation.co.uk

Muir Delivers Leuchars Timber Kit

Muir Timber Systems has started delivery of the timber kits for 49 new social homes in Leuchars. It marks the continuation of a longstanding relationship with Campion Homes who is the lead contractor for the Kingdom Housing Association development.

Muir will supply the timber frame kit including cassettes and roof trusses for the development which comprises a mix of semidetached homes, semi-detached amenity bungalows, cottage flats and a detached wheelchairaccessible bungalow. Part of the family run Muir Group, Muir Timber Systems was initially set up in 1975 to supply its sister companies, Muir Construction and Muir Homes, but now delivers timber solutions for a variety of contractors and housebuilders from its factory in Inverkeithing.

The homes in Leuchars will be highly energy efficient and will use net zero emission heating systems. The timber kits use sustainable materials and are cut and manufactured using power from the solar array on the roof of the Muir Timber Systems factory.

Gary Gray, General Manager of Muir Timber Systems, said: “We have supported Campion Homes for several years now and we are grateful to be building on this relationship again at their development with Kingdom Housing Association in Leuchars. From our factory in Inverkeithing, our team of designers and highly skilled operatives with years of experience, manufacture timber kits and roof trusses to suit any requirements. They take great pride in their work and it was great to see another high quality product leaving the factory this week to be delivered to Leuchars. At Muir Timber Systems we try to make it

as easy as possible for our clients to create homes and communities that improve peoples’ lives and will stand the test of time.”

Susan Jackson, Joint Managing Director of Campion Homes, added: “With Fife Council recently declaring a housing emergency, it has never been more important to deliver quality affordable housing where it is needed most. Working with Muir Timber

Systems allows us to do this quickly and to a high standard. This development has a particular focus on accessible housingsomething that Campion Homes has a great deal of experience in - with another development with Kingdom Housing Association being recognised for Excellence in Accessibility & Inclusion.”

www.muirtimbersystems.co.uk

NTS Unveils GreenBox® Floor Cassette System

National Timber Systems (NTS) is to launch the GreenBox® floor-cassette system – which uses lightweight, low-embodied-carbon engineered-timber – in the UK in collaboration with international engineering, design and technology firm Thornton Tomasetti.

The system can be used in newbuilds, extensions or renovations for commercial and multi-occupancy residential developments. It performs like a concrete floor, but with less mass and a fraction of the embodied carbon.

GreenBox® is specified for each project and manufactured to order. The stiff timber structure of the cassette has a proprietary filling of recycled non-toxic materials, which provides strong fire resistance and tuneable acoustic performance. Long-span cassettes offer architects and specifiers more design flexibility for column-free spaces and big bays, alongside the significant environmental benefits of using timber. The ceiling created by the system has an attractive wood soffit with few, if any, down-stand beams, and specialty plywood can be used instead of the standard panel if preferred.

Philip Carney, NTS Technical and Innovation Director, said: “We are excited to be manufacturing GreenBox® for the UK market. We always aim to help our customers build more sustainable

structures through innovative design and highquality manufacturing, based on our ‘less on site’ philosophy. In line with that, GreenBox® has been designed to be simple to install. The cassettes drop into the building frame and are screwed together from the top of the cassette, no special skills or equipment are needed on site. When it’s time to renovate or reconfigure the building the cassettes can be easily replaced, reused or recycled.”

Harry Crofton, Associate at Thornton Tomasetti, said: “GreenBox® is a simple way to drastically cut

a building’s embodied carbon, speed construction and provide sought-after finishes. We’ve been talking with UK-based architects and specifiers and there is a lot of interest in GreenBox® already. A typical building’s frame and floors can make up about half of its embodied carbon, so reductions in the floor system have a big impact.” NTS is the specialist engineered wood products division of National Timber Group.

www.nationaltimbersystems.co.uk

Image courtesy Thornton Tomasetti

New Publication Available on Glulam Use

Glulam’s increasing popularity as an architecturally expressive, lightweight, low carbon structural solution has shown the need for more definitive information about its use. This has resulted in a collaboration between glulam manufacturers and industry organisations in Sweden to produce the new Swedish Wood Glulam Handbook.

Adapted to meet Eurocode 5 and the associated national annexes, it is now available to view free online. In the UK, this information should be used in conjunction with current building regulations.

• Volume 1 (90 pages) contains facts about glulam and planning guidance

• Volume 2 (270 pages) provides calculations for the structural dimensioning of glulam

• Volume 3 (230 pages) gives example calculations for the most common glulam structures

• Volume 4 (78 pages) provides information on the planning and assembly of glulam structures.

Swedish Wood represents the Swedish sawmill industry and is part of the Swedish Forest Industries Federation. It represents the

James Jones & Sons Timber Systems Division Celebrates 25 Year Milestone

James Jones & Sons Ltd has announced the 25-year anniversary of its Timber Systems Division based in Forres. The Timber Systems Division was launched 25 years ago as the UK’s first I-Joist production line and has since grown to become the UK’s largest manufacturer of certified I-Joists, branded as JJI-Joists.

Today JJI-Joists have a 40% share of the UK’s I-Joist market and are used by every major UK housebuilder in addition to supplying customers across Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Tom Bruce-Jones, Chairman of James Jones & Sons Ltd, said: “This is a major milestone for the

Timber Systems Division and the extensive programmes of capital expenditure and innovation. Since its inception we have produced well in excess of 100 million lineal metres of JJI-Joists and stored over 455 thousand tonnes of embedded carbon in approximately one million new homes. In recent years developments have included £8.5million investment into the commissioning of a new world leading I-Joist production line, a stock yard extension and the addition of JJI-Wall stud to our EWP portfolio to help housebuilders meet new Part L building regulation requirements.”

Angus Macfarlane, General Manager of Timber Systems

Swedish glulam, CLT and packaging industries, and collaborates closely with Swedish builders’ merchants and wholesalers of wood products. It also disseminates knowledge about wood, wood products and wood in construction, contributing towards a sustainable society and a thriving sawmill industry. The Glulam Handbook is the latest in a series of Swedish Wood

publications available, including the CLT Handbook, the three-volume Design of Timber Structures, the Joinery Handbook, Ten Points for Timber on Top as well as the quarterly architecture and design magazine.

All can be downloaded at: www.woodcampus.co.uk/ publications/

Division added: “We are delighted to celebrate our anniversary and it is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team over the past 25 years. Many employees that started with us in the beginning are still with us today and will have witnessed a great deal of

change and progression in that time. To mark the occasion, all employees signed a JJI-Joist that was produced on the day of the anniversary, and it will be displayed inside the building.”

www.jamesjones.co.uk

Excellence & Innovation

JJ Smith is incredibly proud to be awarded with the prestigious King’s Award for International Trade 2024.

Afourth-generation family business founded in 1923, the Knowsley based company has been at the forefront of engineering for over one hundred years. Establishing itself as a leader in providing woodworking machining solutions to the timber frame sector after building up a wealth of experience surrounding international trade, JJ Smith maintains close working relationship with suppliers from across the globe to innovate and develop cutting-edge technology tailored to the unique needs of the offsite construction industry.

The company supplies the offsite construction sector with innovative timber frame machinery such as framing stations, panel lifting equipment and heavy-duty automatic crosscut saws.

As a small business, JJ Smith offers a personal touch with a dedicated sales team and highly trained engineers, providing the most technically suitable and cost-effective machining solutions to meet production requirements within the timber frame industry, as well as providing technical support, servicing and aftercare.

Fourth-generation family member and Managing Director, Rachael Baker, commented: “What an incredible honour for JJ Smith and our community. As one of only four organisations in Merseyside to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise, we believe it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of every member of our team. It’s a recognition

of our commitment to excellence and innovation in the woodworking machinery industry, especially within the timber frame sector, as well as the work we have done over the past few years with the local community to provide more opportunities to young people. As a proud Knowsley business, we believe passionately in the role we play within the community and are keen to help other businesses within the Liverpool City Region to engage with their communities.” 

www.jjsmith.co.uk

Offsite construction machinery

The Timber Opportunity of a Lifetime

As the STA, TDUK and Confor jointly grasp the reins to deliver the Government’s Timber in Construction Policy (TiC)

Roadmap, we hear from Andrew Carpenter, STA CEO on what’s next in the implementation of this crucial strategy.

The TiC roadmap – published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in December last year – is the culmination of many months of collaboration between Government and industry and sets out a framework for increasing the use of timber in construction. Having already worked together as key contributors to the development of the policy document, the STA, TDUK and Confor were recently appointed joint secretariat of the TiC working group, in a bid to expedite delivery of the policy goals.

Crucially, the secretariat is tasked with leading the development and implementation of solid plans to meet each of the seven key priorities identified within the roadmap, which cover demand, supply, building safety, labour and skills, carbon, insurance and innovation. And while there is an element of uncertainty now in the political landscape with the impending (at the time of writing) General Election, we’re confident that any potential change of Government will not interfere with the direction of travel. Increasing the use of timber in construction is an absolutely vital component of the UK’s net zero agenda.

Key responsibilities

As we move into the delivery phase of the policy roadmap, we have established working groups for each of the seven key priorities, which will take responsibility for driving forwards the 51 critical projects identified by DEFRA. Some of these projects are industry focused, while others are for Government to undertake. However, it’s possible to distil these down to four primary objectives that underpin everything we are doing. These are:

 Andrew Carpenter, CEO, Structural Timber Association

• To safely increase the amount of timber used in construction

• To increase the amount of homegrown timber used in construction

• To help the UK meet its net zero target by 2050

• To grow the economy through decarbonisation.

This truly is the opportunity of a lifetime for the timber sector, however it’s important that we bear in mind the needs of the construction industry, as they are our client and will influence the outcome of this policy. Therefore, our efforts must be aligned with key industry guidance, such as the Construction Leadership Council’s nine targets for construction to reach net zero by 2050. One of these targets is to optimise the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), while another is to design out carbon – clearly there is a huge opportunity for the timber sector to fill this space.

Delivering 3 ‘Ps’

I believe that the best way for the UK timber sector to align with the construction industry’s

“Health and wellbeing is a major factor and it’s generally recognised that timber has huge aesthetic potential and can deliver a sense of tactile warmth that’s not easily achieved by other materials. What’s more, with skills shortages throughout the construction industry, timber has a role to play in modernising the industry’s image.”

Andrew

Carpenter, CEO, Structural Timber Association

needs is through what I call ‘The 3 Ps’ of Partnership, Procurement and Productivity. Starting with Partnership, this is about fostering collaboration throughout the entire supply chain – from Government, through forestry and sawmills, into manufacturing, design and erection. Only with an integrated supply chain, with common aims, goals and objectives, will we be able to achieve the results we need.

Looking at Procurement, this requires a shift in mindset, moving away from the

  The role timber has to play in our net zero future is hugely significant

current approach that focuses primarily on the lowest price. Changing mindset is no mean feat, however, and will require the Government to lead the charge – perhaps looking to the French example which requires mandatory timber inclusion in all public projects. That being said, positive steps are being taken in this direction with the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023, which includes a push towards using more SMEs and requires local authorities to consider social and environmental value in their purchasing decisions.

Finally, Productivity is about demonstrating that timber is a viable and long-term solution. We need to prove the business benefit and show that we have the capacity to deliver. One way to do this is to examine the way we conduct our own businesses – are we collaborative? Are we working together? Are we adopting better procurement policies?

However, it’s not all just about carbon – timber brings a host of other business benefits too. For example, health and wellbeing is a major factor and it’s generally recognised that timber has huge aesthetic potential and can deliver a sense of tactile warmth that’s not easily achieved by other materials. What’s more, with skills shortages throughout the construction industry, timber has a role to play in modernising the industry’s image. Attracting young people into a job that is largely conducted on wet and windy building sites could perhaps be a challenge, but with the increase in timber-based MMC and offsite construction, a host of new careers requiring different skill sets is opening up.

Finally, I truly believe that the younger generations – growing up in a society that is acutely aware of the climate crisis – are looking for more than just a salary. They want a sense of purpose, a feeling that they are contributing to the bigger picture for the benefit of all. It is this sense of purpose that we, the timber sector, must seek to foster across all levels of the supply chain if we are to achieve the results we are seeking. The TiC roadmap is the blueprint but it’s down to us to work together in delivering it. 

www.structuraltimber.co.uk

Mass Timber: Essential Guide to Safety

New global guidance on how to build ‘fire-safe’ mass timber structures has been released by Arup to encourage more widespread use of timber and also focus minds on how to

mitigate risk.

Authors of ‘Fire Safe Design of Mass Timber Global Guidance’, the new indepth 178-page report believe that the lack of clear and consistent guidance globally is holding back uptake of this important low-carbon construction material.

The guide sets out an evidencebased approach to support and plug gaps in local country codes and regulations, to assist in the fire safe design of mass timber buildings. While the US, Canada, Australia, and several European countries have mature timber construction industries, supported by a regulatory framework and design codes, many other countries are earlier on in their journey.

Aimed primarily aimed at fire safety engineers, it also provides practical guidance for all those involved in the design and construction of mass timber buildings. The risk-based guide will help fire safety engineers, structural engineers, architects, developers, local authorities, insurance companies, property owners, and project managers exploring the use of mass timber to answer essential questions including:



• Which fire safety measures are required to address the specific fire hazards posed by mass timber?

• Can all mass timber remain exposed or where does it require encapsulation?

• What fire performance and specification are appropriate for the mass timber components?

• Is a single stair building compatible with safe mass timber construction?

• Should mass timber be employed in the construction of external walls?

Arup is sharing its internal guidance as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions to help reach the UN goal of making near-zero emission buildings the new normal by 2030. Research by Arup and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has shown that of the embodied carbon associated with construction, 70% comes from six materials including concrete and steel. Using more sustainable materials such as timber in the right way has the potential to dramatically reduce this.

‘Fire Safe Design of Mass Timber Global Guidance’ draws on decades of Arup involvement in research and design on fire safety engineering for mass timber structures – this expertise has been used to inform the development of many landmark projects such as the Sky Believe in

Better Building in the UK and the Galkangu Bendigo GovHub building in Australia.

Most recently Arup has conducted some of the largest timber fire safety experiments in the world. The Code Red research project in France saw a series of full-scale fire experiments in a 350sq m compartment with mass timber ceilings, to help the industry better understand how fires would grow, develop and decay in an open-plan space such as offices. Arup is also contributing to the development of codes and standards around the world.

The guide focuses on building typologies where mass timber has the greatest potential –office and residential buildings up to 50m tall and educational buildings up to 25m tall. Often the sustainability benefits of mass timber structures diminish as the building height increases. However, the guide and its underlying research has also helped inform mass timber buildings over 50m such as the Netherland’s tallest timberhybrid residential Haut and Ascent, the tallest mass timber in the world in the US.

“As well as gaps in codes and regulations, there is also a lack of knowledge amongst much of the design and construction community when it comes to designing fire-safe timber buildings,” Judith Schulz, Fire safety engineering lead, Arup. “This means the opportunities for more sustainable construction are not currently being realised. We hope this guide will contribute to accelerating a move away from carbonintensive materials and contribute to a growth in fire safe mass timber buildings, which offer great promise for reducing CO2 in low- to medium-rise buildings.”

Importantly the Guide does not address the fire hazard presented by mass timber structures during the construction phase, when fire safety measures are not yet complete. This must be assessed during the design stage so that the risk of fire during construction is adequately mitigated. The guidance is provided on an ‘as is’ basis, with research undertaken to identify relevant sources of information concluding in February 2024. 

‘Fire Safe Design of Mass Timber Global Guidance’ is free to download at: www.arup.com/insights/fire-safe-design-ofmass-timber-buildings

The new Guide provides practical guidance for all those involved in timber design

Foster School of Business, University of Washington | Seattle, Washington, USA

Courtesy of Michael G. Foster School of Business

Timber Routes to Net Zero

In partnership with the Structural Timber Association (STA), the 2024 Structural Timber Conference took place on 16 April 2024 at 30 Euston Square, London. The busy day provided various perspectives on the role timber is playing across the built environment.

Providing a focal point to celebrate timber success stories and a forum for discussion about where timber is heading, the day highlighted why timber is central to the UK’s drive to net zero, developing a mature circular economy and creating attractive, healthy buildings. With a heightened focus on building safety, circularity and sustainability, the presentations tackled the crucial question of ‘what’s important right now’ for the structural timber sector.

As pointed out by both Andrew Carpenter – acting in his capacity as board member of the Confederation of Timber Industries – and in a keynote presentation by David Hopkins, Chief Executive of Timber Development UK (TDUK), timber is spearheading a cleaner and more sustainable built environment.

Following the roadmap

Much of the recent headlines have been grabbed by the Timber in Construction (TiC) Roadmap, where the Government made a generational commitment to increase the ‘safe’ use of timber in construction. The Roadmap aims to help reduce embodied carbon in the built environment, drive investment into tree planting, forest management and domestic supply chains and hopefully create new green jobs and bolster environmental industries.

The STA, TDUK and the Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor) were appointed joint secretariat of the TiC Roadmap, in a bid to expedite its delivery and formally began work on 1 May, having already worked together as key contributors to the development of the policy document.

Crucially, the secretariat role will be tasked with leading the development and implementation of each of the seven key priorities identified within the TiC Roadmap, that cover: demand, supply, building safety, labour and skills, carbon, insurance and innovation. All three organisations were integral to the creation of the TiC Roadmap and collectively represent the full spectrum of timber industries.

“Through the secretariat role,” Andrew Carpenter had stated previously. “We also hope to bring other Government bodies and stakeholders together to support and accelerate the Roadmap’s implementation, which is crucial to ensuring the UK stays on track to meet our legally binding climate commitments.”

Part of this will be trying to increase the use of timber frame construction in England from 23% presently to 40%. Overall, the TiC Roadmap is a hugely positive development and will need a great deal of team and cross-organisational work to deliver it – its “problematic to do alone.” One thing is clear: for many outside the timber sector – or at least new to its idiosyncrasies – a lot of work must be done on risk mitigation, helping insurers and dispelling some of the bogus statements surrounding timber specification.

Certainly, there should be more promotion of the Alliance for Sustainable Building Product (ASBP) Mass Timber Insurance Playbook – an excellent document created to bridge the information gap between construction teams and insurers of mass timber buildings. Future lans on the drawing board for release by the secretariat are a Mass Timber Asset Register and a Durability Workbook.

 Andrew Carpenter acted in his capacity as board member of the Confederation of Timber Industries

Building safety & skills

 The conference provided a focal point for the future of timber, its role in the circular economy and barriers to its wider specification

A panel debate on ‘Building Safety and the Impact of the Building Safety Act’ saw Tim Galloway, Deputy Director Building Safety Programme, Health & Safety Executive, Kelly Harrison, Director at Whitby Wood and the STA’s Andrew Orriss, discuss the implications for timber.

As with many aspects of the contemporary construction world, data is driving many decisions. The problem is pulling this data together coherently. Huge amounts of product performance testing give us sufficient information – e.g. moisture control –but how can that be transparently interpreted to give the supply chain ‘real’ evidence to deliver better timber building solutions – will AI step in to solve some of these issues?

But collaboration is central to many improvements, Kelly Harrison spoke about the supply chain always being very cooperative, but the construction industry needs to be better educated on how the timber supply chain works – especially the talk turns to well-being, healthy and the natural aspects of timber environments. The STA’s Andrew Orris added that STA are working diligently with its members on the stepchange in Building Safety Act responsibilities that all parties within project supply chains will need to focus and the “monumental challenge” that the Act presents.

Throughout the day a range of schemes highlighted some of the amazing work being done with timber technology – these included The Black & White Building, National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), New Temple Complex, Sky Pavilion and the Arbour, Brent Cross – most of which have been covered in depth inside Structural Timber magazine. These flagship schemes have

the common thread of outstanding design and delivery but also epitomise high levels of understanding of timber as a material and its carbon credentials.

Circular thinking

The main afternoon sessions centred on the future of timber, its role in the circular economy and barriers to its wider specification. Taking up the skills improvement mantle, Steve Bertasso, Assistant Professor at NMITE, outlined the Timber Technology Engineering Design (TED) short courses that they have rolled out and the centre’s wider role to “stimulate collaboration across the industry.” They are also working hard with partners to address skills gaps highlighted in the TiC Roadmap.

Have we become a throwaway society – even in the way we design and construct? This is the mainstay principle driving the circular economy. Can we recycle and reuse materials more? Can we design buildings to dismantle, deconstruct and repurpose for other uses? The afternoon panel debate: ‘Building a Circular Economy with Timber’, included Philippa Birch-Wood, Local Network Co-ordinator, UK Green Building Council, Kirsten Haggart, Associate Director, Waugh Thistleton Architects and Charlie Law, Director of Sustainability at TDUK.

Prolonging the use of a product or building with a view to deconstruct or retrofit rather than demolish is a societal imperative. But there needs to be more mechanisms to enable this to happen efficiently – digital technology can help here – with digital twins giving us a better idea of what a building contains structurally and how it can be reused. BIM has a key role in this as we seek to design for adaptability. There also needs to be concerted moves towards mandating embodied carbon targets e.g. Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden have introduced regulation on whole-life carbon emissions, addressing both operational and embodied emissions.

Finbar Charleson, Architect and Research Lead at dRMM finished the day highlighting the markets and opportunities for homegrown timber – an exciting and developing area for all those working in timber – both in construction and forestry.

Within the TiC Roadmap a new statutory woodland cover target wants to increase tree canopy and woodland cover in England to 16.5% by 2050 from its current 14.5%. This will hopefully stimulate tree planting of both hard and softwoods and reduce the over-reliance the UK has on imported timber – simply from an embodied carbon perspective, the slashing of transport emissions and costs would gigantic.

The government awarded £7.6million through the Woodlands into Management Forestry Innovation Funds to “develop new technologies and working practices that boost homegrown timber” and arguments surrounding the suitability and specification of C-16 and C-24 are plentiful, but a plentiful supply of UK Beech could stimulate a homegrown CLT and mass timber market. Certainly, these advances can add a new dimension to the forestry and primary processing sectors.

Timber sits in a sweet spot connecting the built environment and the natural environment. With more flagship schemes showcasing the best of these two worlds and proving what can be achieved with timber and biobased materials, a zero carbon, attractive and flexible world of construction is within the UK’s grasp. 

www.structuraltimberconference.co.uk

 David Hopkins, Chief Executive of Timber Development UK delivers a keynote presentation

The Structural Timber Awards serve as a prominent platform to showcase and establish benchmarks for excellence within this dynamic sector. With a range of categories available for sponsorship at our 2024 awards, this highly recognised event provides an opportunity to align your brand with influencers and pioneers. The 2024 shortlist has been announced, so now is the perfect time to sign up as a sponsor and align your business with the Structural Timber Awards, to demonstrate your commitment to fostering progression, innovation, and talent in timber design, engineering, and construction.

Balancing Act

Jeremy Ralph, Founder and Director of Evolving Forests, discusses how refocusing our approach to timber could reap rich rewards for the UK’s forestry and construction sectors.

Created as a mainly residential extension to Belgravia, the Pimlico district of South-West London is known for its garden squares and Regency architecture, being designated a conservation area in 1968. As befits a former timber yard, timber was a key material for this imaginative refurbishment scheme, and B&K Structures (BKS) – a leading exponent of mass timber and structural steel packages – were instrumental in the delivery of Newson’s Yard.

The need for spruce drives investment in milling and growing, but rather than the ‘forestry’ dog wagging the ‘construction’ tail, the construction tail is wagging the forestry dog. When we knew little about soil health, and biodiverse woodlands were being dealt with by conservation NGOs and when sourcing and importing timber was done with relative ease, the situation was fine. Things are now changing quickly. Disease is becoming a major threat, and our knowledge of soil health is increasing exponentially. Foresters – trying to deal with rotations of decades-long growing timber and the climate changing at an unknown speed – are having to address the shifting paradigms of silvicultural practice.

Forests and material supply

These changes can be seen in the increasing complexity of our forests, especially in the lowlands. To mitigate climate change, increase biodiversity and the overall health of the

 Impulso Verde Lugo uses Pine mass timber Eucalyptus gridshell.

Courtesy Evolving Forests

forest means making it less one-dimensional. Multiple species of different ages in smaller groups interspersed with ecologically focused corridors. Increasing three-dimensional structure gives a greater variety of light conditions for more ecological habitats. Increasing species diversity reduces the risk of catastrophic collapse if one species gets disease. Mixed forests tend to weather storms better, and feed soils with a greater variety of organic litter, to become decomposed soil content for the next generation of trees.

As our forests become more complex so will our material supplies. We need to balance the

“As our forests become more complex so will our material supplies. We need to balance the need for timber now with the ethical duty to leave our forests in a healthier condition for future generations. This greater complexity comes with opportunities and challenges.”

Jeremy Ralph, Founder and Director, Evolving Forests

need for timber now with the ethical duty to leave our forests in a healthier condition for future generations. This greater complexity comes with opportunities and challenges. The output of these forests needs a greater mix of species and sizes which will provide a wider variety of timber properties. There is no doubt that this increasingly complex palette of materials will happen because foresters must focus on what is best for the long-term resilience of the forest and the landscape, rather than what the timber users expect to get. It’s exciting to think that timber supply can become an ecologically coherent forest-first value-chain, but it means we need to address how we undertake timber sourcing.

We could just forget about species and concentrate on properties. If C-24 is specified, does it matter what species it is? If a timber needs to be durable enough to take ground penetration, as long as it has an adequate durability rating, does it matter what species it is? Does it matter if a glulam beam or CLT panel is mixed species if it performs to its stated rating? Mixing species comes with some specific challenges of managing movement and managing glueing for instance. But it also brings potential efficiencies in mixing different species of differing properties. Take the work being undertaken at ETH Stuttgart to optimise material use in CLT by using stiffer timber in areas that need it and less stiff, or even empty space where it isn’t needed.

Think locally

Another way is to focus on localism, or bioregionalism and use materials that can be sourced locally and tailor design to those materials. In cities such as Lugo in northern Spain, this has become local government policy. The recently completed Impulso Verde is designed around what is grown and manufactured in the region – Pine CLT and glulam topped by a Eucalyptus grid-shell roof. In urban areas this can mean a focus on reclaimed timber and urban-grown trees, both of which can produce exceptional timber. Even the conservation focused charities such as the Woodland Trust and the National Trust are having a renewed interest in what timber provision is possible via the ecologically focused thinnings they undertake. These supply-chains may produce hugely variable timber. Our challenge is to be able to make best use of this. Technology, research and innovation will be a major factor in making these supply chains work. We can make use of Lidar sensors in mobile devices to measure timber precisely and quickly to create efficiencies in complex supply chains. We can use manufacturing optimisation in digital cutting and robotics to enable complex forms to be fabricated. In the forest we can use thinning practices to optimise for heartwood proportions and stiffness whilst optimising light conditions and soil health.

 Robotics and 21st Century technology is increasingly part of offsite timber systems manufacture. Courtesy Evolving Forests

 The UK’s forests need a greater mix of species and sizes to provide a wider variety of timber for construction. Courtesy Evolving Forests

 Jeremy Ralph, Founder and Director, Evolving Forests

But what will really make these new, complex, supply-chains work will be a renewed conversation between forester, designer, developer and fabricator. A more modern understanding of material sources and material uses. For too long foresters have closed the gate behind them and not given much thought to where their timber ends up. For too long timber users have seen their material as a generic lump, with maybe a nod to certification but little understanding of how timber is grown. These conversations are happening in places like Hooke Park and through organisations like Built by Nature. It’s a truly exciting time to be in both forestry and construction as we strive to build better. Understanding our raw material, good forestry practices and structural engineering with timber is moving at an incredible pace. But if we don’t talk to each other there is a danger these developments get lost in our own little worlds. Imagine all the spruce gets diseased and dies. What will you specify? We’ll only really become resilient if the whole supply-chain from tree nursery to structural engineer talk to each other. 

www.evolvingforests.com

Championing Carbon-Neutral Cladding

Providing 1,700sq m of Accoya in bespoke profiles and finishes for the facility’s facades, James Latham is championing sustainable construction in Ireland, as well as the UK. The project also shows timber’s suitability for hard-wearing exterior applications.

North Dublin Operations Depot is being hailed as a game-changer for green construction in Ireland. Located in Ballymun, this new facility, owned solely by Dublin City Council, is one of the area’s first buildings to meet the EU’s ‘Nearly Zero-Energy Building’ (NZEB) requirements. Yet achieving this certification was no small feat, given the ultra-strict design brief: the Depot had to keep energy outputs to a minimum and sustainable building products had to be specified wherever possible.

Adding another layer of difficulty, the solution also had to withstand the location’s high levels of wind-driven rain. This led to careful thought from JNP Architects about which materials to use, particularly for the extensive cladding required for the depot’s façades. The choice was Accoya.

Produced by leading sustainable wood solutions manufacturer Accsys, its remarkable durability, derived from an innovative acetylation treatment, made it the perfect fit for the project.

For visual appeal, JNP Architects chose to have the Accoya® specially machined and factory-finished by another James Latham division, Dresser Mouldings, in a mix of Teknos and Sansin coatings. This provided the depot’s vertical and horizontal cladding with further durability and reduced maintenance.

According to the project’s lead architect, Steven Linton: “Confronted with a brief like

“Confronted with a brief like this, Accoya modified timber, supplied by James Latham Dublin was an obvious choice of material to add to our palette”

Steven Linton, Lead Architect, JNP Architects

this, Accoya modified timber, supplied by James Latham Dublin was an obvious choice of material to add to our palette. Not only that, but James Latham also shared their expertise throughout the process, working with our contractors to ensure correct and best outcomes when using the materials. It’s this accommodating added value service which makes them such a great partner to work with.”

Finally, to ensure every requirement was met, Purcell Construction Ltd, a leading Irish contractor experienced in working with Accoya, was brought onto the project to guarantee its flawless installation. The result was a building envelope that seamlessly integrates with the rugged beauty of the Irish coastline, marrying form with function. With a 50-year warranty, it met the project’s requirement for a low-maintenance façade system with longevity.

As it’s sustainably sourced and manufactured, Accoya® also embodies Dublin City and Fingal County Councils’ joint commitment to a greener future. A win-win outcome for Ireland’s

local government and the planet too – a shining example of the country’s forward-thinking approach to sustainable design.

“This project captured our imagination,” said Phil Roche, Director at James Latham Dublin. “Rather than a hindrance, the strict sustainability brief provided a welcome chance to showcase how timber can now compete shoulder-to-shoulder with materials like concrete, glass, and metal, offering comparable durability with far lower embodied emissions. Accoya, with its impressive low carbon footprint and incredible strength, made it a nobrainer, not only that, but it looks great too.”

James Latham has completed a complete brand refresh for its businesses in the Republic and Northern Ireland. The move will see its existing outlets, Abbey Woods, and IJK Timber Ltd, officially adopt the parent company’s name, aligning with the business’ other Irish division, Latham Direct Timber. 

www.lathamtimber.co.uk www.accoya.com

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A Study in Net Zero

The term ‘net zero’ is familiar to many but it can mean different things to different people. Mark Brown, Consultant at TG Escapes outlines why it is so important to the education sector.

In the context of the built environment, net zero is used to describe both buildings that are net zero carbon in operation and those that are net-zero carbon in their construction. The starting point for a net-zero construction definition is: “when the amount of carbon emissions associated with a building’s product and construction stages up to practical completion is zero or negative, through the use of offsets or the net export of on-site renewable energy.” Likewise, the current definition for a building in use energy is: “when the amount of carbon emissions associated with the building’s operational energy on an annual basis is zero or negative.” Operational energy includes heating and cooling systems, cooking, lighting and plug loads.

Construction energy considers the total carbon emissions created through construction. Only when both elements satisfy a net-zero ideal can a building be deemed to fully comply with the aims of the Climate Change Act and fit within the Government set targets of 2030 for operational net-zero and the 2050 embodied target.

 Post-16 Provision, Sir Charles Parsons Special School. This net zero modular project contained four classrooms, each designed for young people with a range of SEND needs

 Education and Community Centre, Brune Park School.

The two-storey building, completed in 26 weeks includes nine classrooms which can be opened up, breakout and office spaces and large atrium

Where does this all fit into education and modular timber buildings? Natural, sustainable materials should be considered first, avoiding high embodied carbon materials wherever possible and still ensuring longevity. Efforts should be made to use less materials generally and to reduce the weight of dead loads, thus minimising structural weight and reducing foundation load and size. Transportation to the build site and on-site construction should be reduced by utilising offsite, modular construction. Waste and site works should be minimised, and the construction materials and methods used should allow for future demounting, replacement or reuse of the structure or its elements.

Using timber for schools

As timber is a natural product that sequesters carbon as it grows, it is a highly suitable material for reducing carbon during the product stage. Each square metre of timber frame removes and stores over 12Kg of carbon dioxide during the construction phases. While it is unlikely that the whole build could become negative in terms of carbon just by using a timber frame, it is an essential factor in achieving a calculated net zero build.

The government’s Net Zero Strategy, published in autumn 2021, acknowledges that wood: “has the lowest embodied carbon of any mainstream building material,” and promises to “promote the safe use of timber in construction.” Timber also has some considerable secondary benefits, with biophilic properties helping enhance the learning environment.

Timber classrooms have been proven to reduce stress among students versus traditional classrooms, as evidenced by a 2007 study, Schools

 SEND Enterprise Centre, St Joseph’s Specialist Trust. A workshop catering to young adults with complex and severe learning difficulties

 Ratcliffe College English Department. The 10-classroom block completed in 28 weeks, accommodates the whole English department, with a full-height atrium with rooflights, a large PV array and sedum roof

without Stress, by Weitzer Parkett and proHolz of Austria. As well as reducing stress, biophilic design can enhance sensory and motor development by using elements from the living, natural environment which can help inspire curiosity, imagination and discovery in students. Furthermore, the use of natural materials can reduce fatigue, while cognitive ability and emotional wellbeing can be increased by the inclusion of nature in learning environments.

We conduct regular research amongst customers in education to understand how our timber frame buildings perform as classrooms, SEND spaces, studios, early years settings and more. The feedback shows that these ‘natural’ buildings provide spaces which feel very different to other types of buildings.

Overall, timber construction will always be more carbon efficient than traditional masonry build. However, as the cost of offsetting rises, the economic case for construction methods that require less offsetting improves. The use of a timber structure makes achieving net zero easier and more economical, which is often the critical factor in the educational market. 

Spider Makes Sense at Eden Lakeside

Utilising their unique Spider and Pillar connectors, Rothoblaas has delivered the ‘first ever’ flat slab project using mass timber to help transform an idyllic lakeside retreat into a sustainable triumph.

It’s an interesting time to be part of the timber industry, as renewed Government attention has firmly placed this low carbon material at the top of the construction agenda. Published in December 2023, following many months of close collaboration within the industry, the Timber in Construction (TiC) Policy Roadmap is an unprecedented move from the Government, as it demonstrates a clear and actionable desire to explore low carbon building materials to achieve net zero targets.

Constructed using cross laminated timber (CLT), the structure blends in seamlessly with its surroundings. But an aesthetically pleasing building – envisioned by architects Cudot and engineering firm Studio Allen – gives way to a contemporary and expertly designed structure, with Rothoblaas supplying the key fixtures and fittings and ConstruktCLT, handling design, logistics, and installation.

  The Spider connector has been employed for the first time in a ‘flat slab’ mass timber context

The project began when Cudot presented ConstruktCLT with an ambitious pre-designed plan. ConstruktCLT enlisted the help of Studio Allen and Rothoblaas for engineering support, as well as Mint Construction for installation – as a result, the entire building was assembled in just three weeks.

One of the key components in the retreat’s construct was the Rothoblaas ‘Spider connector’ and reinforcement system. With the aim of minimising the use of columns, concrete and steel in mind, ConstruktCLT proposed using the flat slab Spider method to achieve a smooth, single plane on the underside of the slab for effective insulation and membranes.

This meant that apart from the 25 columns embedded in the ground and two supporting the glazing, no other steel was used throughout the building. The steel embedded in the ground was essential to raise the building above the water level of the lake. The property also features a twometre cantilever overhang that extends to form a jetty over the lake. A fully insulated and watertight design was minimised to avoid extra foundations.

Post and beam reduction

This project was initially designed to minimise the number of concrete and steel beams used in the foundations but also reduce timber elements, moving away from the traditional post and beam construction method. By using Rothoblaas’ Spider and Pillar connectors, the project avoided conventional post and beam techniques, resulting in a fully flat slab floor – a first for a CLT structure. This combined with various connection details allowed for a wider span grid between the steel columns, further reducing the number of steel columns needed for the foundation.

The Spider connecter system offers exceptional strength and flexibility, crucial for the integrity of CLT structures as it allows for seamless connections between timber components, ensuring stability and resilience against environmental stresses. This advanced technology not only simplifies the assembly process but also significantly reduces construction time and costs and by integrating the Rothoblaas Spider connector.

Eden Lakeside Retreat represents the cutting edge of eco-friendly architecture, seamlessly blending in with its picturesque surroundings while also pushing the boundaries of contemporary construction. It benefits from a robust and sustainable framework, exemplifying the perfect blend of innovation and natural beauty, combining form and function. Timber decking surrounds the front entrance, and the glazed windows maximise solar gains and provide stunning panoramas. The property also includes a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system and an air source heat pump (ASHP), to help regulate the lodge’s internal temperature.

The collective efforts of Cudot, Studio Allen, Rothoblaas, and ConstruktCLT have culminated in a retreat that not only offers a tranquil escape but also sets a new standard for sustainable design and mass timber construction. 

www.rothoblaas.com www.construktclt.com

Choose Deeside Timberframe for Rapid Construction Projects

Timber frame construction is renowned for its rapid build times, making it an ideal choice for architects and developers – both private and affordable homes – looking to expedite their projects.

At Deeside Timberframe, we leverage this advantage to offer a seamless and efficient construction process from start to finish. The speed of timber frame construction lies in its offsite prefabrication. Components are manufactured in a controlled environment, ensuring precision and reducing the likelihood of on-site delays. Once ready, these elements are swiftly transported and assembled on-site, allowing projects to become weathertight in a matter of days.

Recent studies indicate that timber frame construction can be completed 6 to 13 weeks quicker than traditional masonry, with an average saving of eight weeks.

Deeside Timberframe provides comprehensive support from the initial planning phase through to full site erection. Our dedicated

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 Timber frame construction can be completed 6 to 13 weeks quicker than traditional masonry

team, including on-site project managers, work closely with clients to understand their unique needs, offering tailored solutions that align with their project goals. This approach ensures a smooth transition through every stage of the construction process, minimising disruptions and maximising efficiency. We also ensure compliance with Passivhaus and Part L Regulations, guaranteeing that your building meets the highest standards of energy efficiency and sustainability. 

Our commitment to excellence and speed makes Deeside Timberframe the preferred choice for anyone aiming to deliver high-quality projects on time and within budget. For more information visit: deesidetimberframe.com or email info@ deesidetimberframe.com

The Formula for the Future

Following an investment of over £10million, Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS) has increased capacity and boosted technical capabilities at its Witney facility to create a state-of-the-art manufacturing process.

Over the last four years, the UK’s leading UK offsite timber frame manufacturer has responded to market demands by taking timber frame production to a new level. The investment in machinery and performance upgrades at the Witney site in Oxfordshire, includes four state-of-the art timber processing centres and a new floor panel production line offering customers a fully completed pre-glued floor cassette solution. The site has also installed the most advanced automated pre-insulated closed panel wall production line in Europe.

The purpose of the machinery investments is to increase automation to improve efficiency and create additional capacity, reducing the manual labour required and makes operative positions more ‘inclusive’. The new technology also increases the factory’s technical capabilities so more advanced products for offsite developments – including the DTS Sigma II timber frame system – can be manufactured to precise specifications with each panel unique – but with the quality assurance industry demands.

“A lot of the manual handling challenges have been taken out of the equation,” says Witney Factory Manager, Alanna Bowler. “Operatives now have a more ‘machinery minding’ role and that leads to improved



 The robotics and advanced manufacturing process will increase capacity of the Sigma II closed panel timber frame system

accuracy, quality and confidence that panel after panel is going to exit the factory with zero defects.”

Some of the pieces of technology were created specifically for DTS and have never been used before in the industry. Partnering with Randek on much of the machinery development, new techniques, and innovations, DTS ensured current and advanced elements of technology were used, including robotics and laser integration. The increased automation also reduces the requirements for paper drawings as plans are input digitally, further reducing carbon footprint.

“Prefabrication isn’t just about constructing buildings,” said Ola Lindh, Randek CEO on the Witney developments. “It’s about co-creating solutions with our customers, refining their processes, and integrating our technology to

drive efficiency and automation. This synergy not only makes housing more affordable but also paves the way for a sustainable future.”

In addition to the internal facility changes – that were set in motion over four years ago – photovoltaic (PV) cells have been installed on the factory roof to produce just under one megawatt of electricity, covering the factory’s own energy needs and an excess of ‘green’ energy that can be exported back into the National Grid for other local businesses

“We do think we are leading the way in the UK from a timber frame perspective. This state-of-the-art process has taken us to new levels of quality assurance and removes any areas of ambiguity from the factory floor.”

Mike Perry, Business Development Director, Donaldson Timber Systems

and homes to use. This significantly reduces the site’s environmental footprint and combined with new electric vehicle charging points for staff and visitors, supports DTS’ wider sustainability goals.

The Witney factory installed 2,468 PV cells on the roof and in just over two months. “We have significant environmental ambitions at DTS, including a target of 100% green energy usage by 2030, said Frank O’Reilly, DTS Manufacturing Director. “Adding this 999.54 kWh system to our Witney factory is a huge step forward in meeting this goal. As part of a much larger infrastructure and capability investment at the factory, the surplus green energy we are creating also helps to offset this project.

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Advanced Manufacturing

“The installation of the new machinery in a working factory is unusual for the industry and the process required a phenomenal amount of logistical planning over a period of a couple of years. We’re all proud of the results. We’re creating the capacity and technical capabilities customers require to continue building more advanced and energyefficient homes and buildings – and futureproofing our own business in the process.

“We’re also excited about what this means for our colleagues, as it is revolutionising the operations process. Now a less physically demanding role, we can hire a wider variety of people to work on-site, helping to plug the current skills gap in construction. We’ve also hired people with an automation background from the automotive and engineering sectors to ensure we upskill our teams and are making the best use of our new capabilities. These efficiencies also provide an opportunity to increase production, creating more positions in time, and allowing us to redeploy people to more value-added roles.”

With about 65% of production catering for the private residential sector and 25% in the affordable area, housing is the clear direction of travel for the panelised products. Adopting a ‘home an hour’ ethos, the design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) principles are clear to see and compared to the previous production lines – inherited from Stewart Milne Timber Systems in 2021 – the factory is now showcasing serious advanced manufacturing. It is not just about the robotics and the new production lines but about additional Hundegger saws, the PV panels and the new ERP system, to make sure they are primed for industry changes and the next phase of market development across the built environment.

The Sigma II closed panel timber frame system provides long-term energy efficiency and meets and exceeds Homes England’s minimum requirement for a pre-manufactured Value (PMV) of 57%. The aim is to improve this further with the exploration of factory-fitting cladding and taking brickwork out of the equation – potentially lightweight roof coverings – to propel PMV towards 70+%.

“Timber is the only truly sustainable building material, and we are

 The Witney facility has benefited from a PV system to power production

 (L-R) Andrew Donaldson, Group CEO, Alanna Bowler, Factory Manager, Frank O’Reilly, Manufacturing Director and Rod Allan, Managing Director of DTS

well-respected in the industry for the quality of our products,” says Rod Allan, Managing Director of DTS. “But rather than rest on our laurels, we continue to look forward and innovate. We have created the scope to add more capacity and capabilities to the factory over time without the need for a large-scale overhaul like this one, and we have created a platform for more R&D. It has also made positive changes to our colleagues, as we have seen more people switch to electric vehicles thanks to the free charging points on-site. This is a significant investment but one that will set us and our customers up for continued success in reducing carbon for years to come.” 

www.donaldsontimbersystems.com

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Membrane Essentials

Installing air and vapour control layers need careful consideration. A. Proctor provide some expert advice on how to approach this critical aspect of timber construction.

Acritical aspect of condensation control in buildings is restricting the passage of moisture vapour from the building’s interior into the external walls and roof. A membrane layer, installed behind the internal finish, is designed to perform that function.

Traditionally called a vapour control layer (VCL), these membranes are now known as air and vapour control layers (AVCLs) to reflect the important role they play in also slowing the loss of warm air from the heated spaces. All AVCLs need to be a well-sealed, continuous layer. A high standard of installation is essential, with care taken to seal all laps, penetrations, perimeters, junctions, and accidental punctures.

Does it matter which way round AVCLs are installed?

In terms of an AVCL’s core function of providing air and vapour resistance, there is no ‘correct’ side that should face the building’s interior. Many AVCLs offer specific secondary performance characteristics, which often do require the membrane to be installed with one face in a particular direction. Reflective membranes must face an empty cavity to provide the intended boost to thermal performance, while fire-rated membranes need to face the expected source of a fire. Products can also be designed with health and safety in mind. For example, the Profoil 861 membrane is offered for high humidity applications which may often be externally installed on a roof, e.g. metal decking. It has one silver face and one blue face, with the blue face designed to prevent workers on the roof suffering from glare or dazzle.

What is the best way to install an AVCL on SFS stud frames?

Unlike a timber framed building, it’s not possible to simply staple an AVCL membrane to a steel stud. If mechanical fixing is desirable or preferred then a suitable flat- or wafer-headed fixing, with a washertype head, should be used. Where mechanical fixings could affect the evenness of the internal lining, then an alternative is to use a doublesided tape like Probreathe® FR Duo Tape. Depending on the building’s fire strategy, a butyl tape i.e. Probond Tape may also be an option.

 Careful consideration should be given to the installation of AVCLs

What are the minimum fixing requirements for AVCLs?

In their typical position behind the internal lining, AVCLs are fully secured to the substrate when the lining is fixed. The initial fixing of the AVCL is therefore only a temporary fix, and so specific fixing centres or double-sided tape coverage don’t need to be observed. It might be enough to use mechanical fixings at the top, bottom and mid-point of the AVCL length. Where a tape like Probreathe FR Duo Tape is used, it can be applied in full strips, or use 100mm sections at intermittent centres.

Where an AVCL is used in a self-weighted situation – such as a ceiling – then it can be adhered, but some mechanical fixings should also be included as part of the temporary works. If the AVCL is likely to be left exposed for a length of time before the internal lining is fixed, then the choice of temporary fixing should reflect that to avoid leaving edges unsecured and minimise the risk of damage. 

www.proctorgroup.com

“Traditionally called a vapour control layer (VCL), these membranes are now known as air and vapour control layers (AVCLs) to reflect the important role they play in also slowing the loss of warm air from the heated spaces.”

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Automating Environmentalism

Richard Hawkins, Technical Innovations Manager for Sevenoaks Modular, picks out some ways that timber and natural fibre insulation are providing modular construction with massive carbon benefits.

As timber frame specialists with over three decades of industry experience, Sevenoaks Modular rebranded in 2016 as a sustainable Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) specialist. Based in Neath, South Wales, it has heavily invested in the refurbishment of a 360,000sq ft historic manufacturing site, known locally as The Metal Box.

This facility enables the delivery of a full turnkey custom housing solution, able to rapidly and accurately deliver anything from standard open timber frame panels, through to fully insulated Category 2 closed panel systems, which include full fenestration and external wall finishes fitted offsite. These wall panel systems can feed the Category 1 volumetric building within the facility that supplies fully finished modular units to a range of clients. Floor and roof systems are also manufactured in house to complete the turnkey offering. This includes completed roof cassettes for warm roof systems and trusses and joists found in cold roof systems.

With a wealth of construction expertise, supported by expert insight from lean manufacturing specialists, an intelligent combination of automation and operator-lead processes, we have developed a highly flexible, world leading example of sustainable offsite manufacturing.

Design for manufacturing and materials consideration

To support the flexibility and efficiency offered by the manufacturing setup, our in-house design team is key to the delivery of their low-carbon, cost-effective construction solutions. Working with a manufacturing method that favours standardisation and repeatability, but supplying



 The use of timber and bio-based materials, alongside cutting edge digital tools and technology is delivering low carbon, offsite manufacture

a market that demands variety and unique character requires a highly skilled design team.

The expertise within this department has been a key factor in the successful use of wood fibre and sheep wool insulation at scale. Their clear understanding of our manufacturing capabilities and design requirements lead to a seamless development of timber frame closed panel systems that can use sustainable insulation sources at a highly repeatable, massmanufacturable level. Coupling these bio-based insulation materials within a structural timber frame creates a building system with high levels of thermal insulation, airtightness and extremely low embodied carbon.

Strong interdepartmental collaboration has also been a key factor in reducing embodied carbon. The design and purchasing teams continually work together to ensure products ordered are of a stock size that maximises material yield and reduces embodied carbon from transportation through the localisation of supply chains. As a result of this, we are proud to be the largest purchaser of homegrown Welsh timber in the world.

Sustainability advancements through offsite manufacturing

The prioritisation of low embodied carbon is further supported by the energy sourcing within the factory itself. There are over 200sq m of roof-mounted solar panels which provide up to 376 kWp. During summer periods this enables the factory to be fully self-sufficient. Supporting energy monitoring systems helps to further breakdown and optimise energy consumption across the site.

A biomass boiler provides heating and hot water for the site, which liberates the building from the consumption of natural gas. The ceramic filters within the biomass chimney prevent the release of carbon into the atmosphere from this process. The boiler is fueled by scrap timber, which can be efficiently collected and processed as a result of manufacturing offsite. The use of intelligent nesting software and automated timber handling during processing ensures waste timber generation is less than 4%.

we have been intelligent with the choice of where to apply automation and where to rely on an operator’s experience and flexibility. With the understanding that the UK housing market does not yet support mass levels of standardisation, very simple manual systems such as trolleys and multi-functional workstations support the levels of agility this market demands, whilst helping to minimise several of the ‘seven wastes of lean’.

The importance of testing, measuring and quality control

“With offsite there is a temptation to maximise the use of technology and robotics to support this. However, as an experienced construction company, with an intrinsic understanding of the UK housing market, we have been intelligent with the choice of where to apply automation and where to rely on an operator’s experience and flexibility.”

Sevenoaks Modular have heavily invested in their training, research and development and manufacturing departments. This helps to keep the workforce informed of new technology and best practice for low carbon and high-quality buildings and manufacturing. As a result, the workforce is upskilled, and the products produced have a minimal performance gap and exemplary carbon credentials. These benefits are measured in-house and using third parties. U-value measurement and thermal imaging capabilities help to monitor performance at both manufacturing and assembly stage. Whilst in-house Lifecycle Carbon Assessment (LCA) capabilities have been intrinsic in supporting clients through their carbon reduction journey from design stage, through to assembly and handover.

Richard Hawkins, Technical Innovations Manager, Sevenoaks Modular

With respect to waste, minimising the ‘7 wastes of lean manufacturing’ were instrumental in the planning and configuration of the factory, during both the initial layout and ongoing development of the production space. For example, ensuring sequential processes were located near one another, and access to materials used in those processes was supported with appropriate materials handling systems.

With offsite there is a temptation to maximise the use of technology and robotics to support this. However, as an experienced construction company, with an intrinsic understanding of the UK housing market,

Like the lean manufacturing approaches, the ethos of continuous improvement is very much engrained into our future vision. These include implementation of digital technologies to support error reduction, process streamlining and data collection that will bolster the economic argument for environmentally conscious construction. When it comes to “selling sustainability”, often a longerterm view is required to see return on investment that comes with new and innovative materials and construction processes, as such we are meticulously collecting data to support this argument and help deliver financial, performance and environmental gains to valued clients. 

www.somodular.co.uk

Reducing Carbon Impact

Timber has a central role to play on the journey to hitting net zero carbon targets and by using the right building boards and panel products, these can help boost energy efficiency levels even further.

According to the Spring forecast by the Construction Products Association, the construction industry is expected to decline by 2.2% this year. At the same time, the UK Government has set the target of building 300,000 new homes every year by the mid-2020s.

However, a shortage of skilled workers –amongst other hurdles – means this will not be achieved unless a significant portion of these homes are built using new, innovative construction methods. Modern methods of construction (MMC), when using materials such as timber, could offset these difficulties, offering a more sustainable option than traditional construction methods.

Timber is not only quicker and easier to install than traditional materials, but it also has strong sustainability credentials. For example, using timber in construction can reduce the built environment’s whole-life carbon or full carbon impact.

The carbon impact of the built environment consists of two components: the operational carbon, which is produced by the type of energy or heating systems within the building, and the embodied carbon, resulting from the manufacture, maintenance and disposal of the construction products that comprise the building or structure.

According to the Climate Change Committee, the use of timber can reduce embodied emissions in a single building by 20% to 60%. Furthermore,

the use of oriented strand board (OSB) panels in construction offers a natural carbon capture benefit. Since trees absorb atmospheric carbon as they grow, using OSB products in construction essentially stores that carbon within the building structure for its lifespan. This reduces a building’s overall carbon footprint.

When timber is harvested from sustainably managed forests, it boasts strong environmental credentials, helping construction industry stakeholders achieve their sustainability goals. At the individual building level, carbon storage is approximately 50% higher in timber-framed homes than in masonry homes.

Despite these benefits, a lack of understanding and awareness of timber’s properties as a building material has become a significant challenge. There are often misconceptions about the use of timber in the non-structural elements of buildings. However, 82% of the public supported the use of wood in construction as a strategy to meet the UK’s net zero commitments at the 2020 UK Citizens Assembly.

Manufacturers are working hard to reassure construction professionals and the public alike of the safety and benefits of timber construction products. For example, MEDITE SMARTPLY’s SMARTPLY ULTIMA OSB/4 has been developed especially for the offsite industry and sets the standard for racking strength, load-bearing capacity, moisture

 SMARTPLY AIRTIGHT

 Max Fordham House

resistance and rigidity in OSB/4. Manufactured in panels of up to 2.8m wide and up to 7.5m long, with a maximum thickness of 40mm, SMARTPLY ULTIMA is ideal for offsite construction, whereby entire sides of an apartment, home or school can be sheathed offsite in a controlled environment and delivered to site and craned into place. Since airtightness is another essential factor in achieving energy efficiency, SMARTPLY AIRTIGHT panels contain an integrated vapour barrier with airtightness engineered into the panel substrate. Used as structural sheathing in timber frame structures, such panels also enhance the buildings’ environmental credentials by reducing the buildings’ overall carbon footprint. The sustainability and safety credentials of MEDITE SMARTPLY’s OSB panels make them a natural choice for construction professionals, as well as helping meet the UK’s needs for sustainable yet highquality construction materials that stand the test of time.

MEDITE SMARTPLY is part of Coillte, an innovative, FSC certified Irish forestry and forest products manufacturer. Based in Clonmel and Waterford, Ireland, MEDITE SMARTPLY produces a versatile range of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) and Oriented Strand Board (OSB) building products. 

https://mdfosb.com/en

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Get Prepped for the EUDR

The supply of sustainable and legal timber is critically important to everyone using and specifying timber across the built environment. With the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) soon entering force, Maggie FitzHerbert, Senior Responsible Sourcing Manager at the Soil Association, outlines how to prepare.

If you are trading in timber and wood-based products, now is the time to become better prepared for its introduction. Published in June 2023 with an 18-month implementation period, the EUDR and its full requirements will come into force on 30 December this year, when businesses within the EU or supplying into the EU or Northern Ireland, must ensure the timber and wood-based products they trade in are legally and sustainably sourced and are verifiably deforestation and degradation-free.

For those in the timber industry, this means confirming that their products – sawn timber, wood-based materials, paper and furniture – do not originate from land deforested or degraded after 31 December 2020, and that they comply with the environmental and social laws of the specific country of production. This will include pursuing a thorough due diligence process tracking the entire supply chain and providing data that demonstrates compliance with the EUDR.

The level of due diligence required in a country will depend on the risk category (‘low’, ‘standard’ or ‘high’) assigned to it by the EU. Currently, all countries, including the UK are categorised as ‘Standard’ risk so a full due diligence system (DDS) is required. Penalty fees for non-compliance will be

 Maggie FitzHerbert, Senior Responsible Sourcing Manager, Soil Association

severe and include fines of 4% based on annual turnover, with products potentially seized and prohibited from entering the EU market.

Why does this affect UK businesses?

UK businesses with operations in the EU, or customers within the EU, need to have a comprehensive understanding of their supply chains. As the 30 December 2024 implementation date approaches, businesses must take proactive steps to ensure compliance by implementing robust due diligence systems, engaging with stakeholders, training staff and staying informed about updates or changes to the EUDR and related regulations.

Within the EUDR there are also new definitions of timber ‘operators’ and ‘traders’ so compliance may require significant adjustments to existing supply chain management practices with additional costs related to verification and documentation. New demands on UK companies will include them having to share geolocation data and harvest dates of their wood-based products to allow EU customers to comply with the EUDR, so UK companies will receive data requests on their product origins. Within Northern Ireland, the EUDR may be applied under the NI Protocol, but Defra and the European Commission have not made a statement about its application yet.

What should UK companies be doing now?

Everyone trading and processing timber must understand their exposure to the EUDR. This means knowing whether products you trade are in scope of the EUDR and could end up on the EU market further down the supply

chain. You should review and revise your company procedures and policies to make sure that your operational activities, risk assessments, due diligence and traceability systems are up to date. This may require educating, training and raising awareness throughout your organisation and employing additional resources if needed.

As things progress throughout 2024, it is important that you familiarise yourself with the EUDR and plan how your business will implement changes. It is essential to engage your suppliers to map your supply chain to gather information such as harvest date and geolocation as it is needed by companies trading in the EU. 

www.soilassociation.org/certification/forestry/responsible-sourcing https://fsc.org/en/eudr-regulation-on-deforestation-free-products www.pefc.org/eudr

EUDR alignment

The EUDR is an evolving process with complex implications. Both FSC and PEFC offer pathways to EUDR alignment. The FSC EUDR Aligned will provide a set of: “integrated tools that companies at any point in the value chain can use to meet EUDR legality, sustainability, and due diligence obligations.” This includes the introduction of a new EUDR regulatory module and an optional blockchain tool.

PEFC are proposing to fully align their SFM benchmark standard with the EUDR, thereby ensuring that over time all material certified under a PEFC SFM certificate will be EUDR compliant.

Additionally, the new PEFC EUDR DDS module will make the EUDR framework understandable for PEFC chain of custody

certificate holders to implement, benefiting from the synergies within PEFC’s existing requirements. The aim is to provide a system that is easily integrated within our current chain of custody processes, in a way that the organisation can take the module and implement it within a system they are already familiar with.

Certification schemes and their inherent Chain of Custody help meet due diligence requirements, but it must be remembered that these do not give companies exemption from following their own specific EUDR responsibilities. While EUDR compliance may present technical challenges, the long-term benefits are a better protected, healthy forest resource and confidence that the timber in the supply chain is legally and responsibly sourced.

 Forest and supply chain transparency is central to the EUDR and responsible supply chains

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Highland Campus Gets Healthy Timber Lift

A state-of-the-art innovation hub for Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Inverness was recently opened by HRH The Princess Royal and showcases a superb hybrid timber approach.

The all-new Rural and Veterinary Innovation Centre (RAVIC) is located at the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Inverness Campus – which forms the heart of the Scottish Highlands’ thriving bioscience sector. The building was designed by Threesixty Architecture, Narro Associates and Rybka, and project managed by Currie & Brown, assisted by cost consultants Thomson Gray, who all collaborated closely with Muir Construction throughout the delivery of the project.

Enhancing energy-efficiency, Muir Construction worked closely with the centre’s designers and structural engineers to incorporate a number of passive design measures throughout. The structure has been designed using hybrid mass timber and steel frame, with bespoke insulated timber components with fire protective qualities manufactured by Muir Construction’s sister company – Muir Timber Systems – exceeding strict building standards and complementing the raw, natural feel of the building’s interior.

“High sustainability targets and our people first approach, combined with strong concepts informed the design of this project to successfully create an all-encompassing space in which academia, research and development can thrive together,” said Richard Scott, project architect at Threesixty Architecture. “Working collaboratively with Muir Construction, Muir Timber Systems, SRUC and all our partners, we’re excited to see this ambitious vision come to life and we’re confident it provides a dynamic collaborative space for everyone to enjoy. Collaborating with both Muir Construction and Muir Timber Systems was a key factor in creating such a truly unique building that will play a significant role in SRUC’s future.”

The new facility provides a modern knowledge ‘cauldron’ to enhance collaborative learning and development. This offers an exciting and

inspiring space in which academia, business and research and development can come together to drive forward the latest industry innovations. This also supports the growth of Scotland’s life sciences sector on a global scale.

SRUC teams based in Inverness, including consultants, researchers and members of Vet Services, will all be located at the facility with a key focus on animal health, infectious disease control and zoonotic disease research. It will also build key connections in human health through close collaboration with NHS

bringing local organisations together. It provides a high-quality facility which will make a great impact across the country’s science industry for years to come.”

With distinctive cladding around its exterior, the building’s one-of-a-kind 11,450sq ft design is centred around a vibrant atrium. This brings all aspects of the facility together to encourage social interaction, and focuses on the use of height, colour and natural materials. Full height glazing maximises daylight and creates a welcoming environment for visitors.

“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do and was central to the building’s design, reflecting SRUC’s commitment to preserving natural resources.”

SRUC Principal and Chief Executive, Wayne Powell

Highland and University of the Highlands and Islands. The centre is also set to bring a number of economic benefits to the wider community, using technology and big data expertise to create new jobs and support new and existing businesses in the industry.

Lowering carbon levels

Patrick Reel, managing director of Muir Construction, says: “The requirements for the centre provided a great opportunity to bring several of our divisions at Muir together, to not only build the exceptional facility, but also create bespoke high performance timber panelling that creates a distinctive feature throughout.

“Using building materials with lower embodied carbon and working with the design team to create a space that uses less energy, we have created a building that is truly sustainable. This exciting building will play a major role in

“We’re thrilled to have played a key role in bringing this new, exciting bioscience facility to Scotland. The project had an extremely unique brief and we’re delighted to have gone above and beyond to exceed our client’s expectations.”

The building comprises superb new lecture, workshop and community events spaces. These are designed to enhance knowledge sharing by facilitating industry talks, presentations and showcasing of the latest innovations. A necropsy suite for wildlife, main office areas and high-quality laboratory spaces located in ‘The Blue Jewel’ – recognised through its rich colour and spacious surroundings - have also been incorporated to support the development of new products and services, as well as industry-focused research. 

www.muirtimbersystems.co.uk

Martin Smith, CEO of Muir Group, said:

Class Acts

The judging has finished and the shortlist for the Structural Timber Awards 2024 has been announced. With a vast array of projects and cutting-edge timber technology on offer – here is a snapshot of those in the running for a prestigious Award.

With this year seeing over 150 entries across the 16 categories, all roads now lead to the gala presentation evening at the Birmingham National Conference Centre (NCC) on 02 October where the Awards will be presented before a packed audience of over 500 national business leaders and high-profile decision makers from the construction industry.

This is the 10th Anniversary event and will feature compelling examples of what can be achieved using the leading mainstream, natural and sustainable building material. The 2024 Structural Timber Awards will celebrate outstanding projects, inspiring individuals and innovative product developments and give everyone a perfect opportunity to celebrate the best the industry offers, relax and network with colleagues and industry insiders.

This year’s judges had the tough job of shortlisting entries into each category and have been overwhelmed with the high standard and variety of ways that timber has been used. Typical judge’s comments included: “Wow, this is undeniable proof that timber design is creating a difference to the built environment and leading the way as a low carbon, natural material. It’s a project that everyone involved with can be extremely proud.”

Overleaf you can find the projects, people and products highlighted as outstanding and potentially ‘best in class’ for 2024 by our judges. All the finalists are of the highest quality but who do you think will win?

2024 STRUCTURAL TIMBER AWARDS

Join in the celebrations later this year at Birmingham NCC on 02 October to celebrate architectural achievements and engineering ingenuity in timber construction. As a major event in the timber calendar this is an event not to be missed and is always a fun, relaxed and enjoyable evening of celebrations and a high-profile networking opportunity. 

Tickets are available for just £185 +VAT and include a complimentary drinks reception, three-course meal, awards ceremony and entertainment. The event presents a fantastic opportunity for you to host and entertain key clients.

If you would like to book tickets to attend the 2024 Structural Timber Awards visit: www.structuraltimberawards.co.uk

The 2024 Structural Timber Awards Finalists are...

PRIVATE HOUSING PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

Bounce Architecture

Whernside Road

Constructional Timber & Webb Yates

High Havens Farm

ConstruktCLT

Eden Lake Retreat

Create Design South West

New dwelling adjacent Penrose Nursery

Glosford Timber Solutions

Foxcote PassivHaus, Hellidon, Daventry(Kevin & Karen Harris)

Heritage Oak Frames

Lucinda Leech’s Passive House

Justin Bere

Brambles

Moduloft

Seahouses x Moduloft

Threefold Architects

Eight Gables

Webb Yates Engineers, Takero

Shimazaki Architects

Niwa House

CUSTOM & SELF BUILD PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

Beech Architects

Angles House

Ecologic SIPs

Golf Links Road

Glosford Timber Solutions

Foxcote PassivHaus, Hellidon, Daventry(Kevin & Karen Harris)

Heritage Oak Frames

Lucinda Leech’s Passive House

Hyde + Hyde Architects

Edge House

Justin Bere

Brambles

Oakwrights

Church View

OB Architecture

Strawberry Hill

SIPS@Clays

Westfield, Northumberland

Transforming Timber -

Two Storey House Extension (Edinburgh Napier University)

Howden Hall Road

EDUCATION PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

B&K Structures, Bowmer + Kirkland, NORR, Engenuiti & Stora Enso

The Stephenson Building, University of Newcastle

Constructional Timber, Smith and Wallwork & Witherford Watson Mann Clare College

Engenuiti, Holmes Miller Architects, KLH UK & Rolton Group

Buntingford First School

HLM Architects

Trent View College

Hopkins Architects

Haileybury SciTech

Innovaré Offsite

St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academythe UK’s First Biophilic School

WB Timber Innovations

Wednesfield Technology Primary School

Webb Yates Engineers, Live Design Practice

The Growing Space

Webb Yates Engineers, Nex Exeter College Library

Webb Yates Engineers, Stanton Williams

Rhodes House Garden Pavilion

Winner Private Housing Project of the Year 2023 Citu - Kelham Central

Winner - Custom & Self Build Project of the Year 2023

Oakwrights & Kinsey HearnWebbs Meadow

SIPCO Structural Insulated Panels offer cost certainty for social and affordable housing providers, meeting and surpassing all the requirements of the Future Homes Standard.

SIPs provide sustainable buildings with high thermal performance and air tightness

Higher standards for insulation mean building regulations and low carbon targets are achievable

Low-carbon construction and fabric first approach provides sustainability and energy efficiency

Meets the strict requirements of Building Regulations, BREEAM and Passivhaus Standards

U-values as low as 0.09 W/m²K with minimal heat loss via thermal bridging (Y-value). Typically, 0.025 W/m²K exceeds the accredited and enhanced construction details Y-values of 0.08 and 0.04 W/m²K, respectively

COMMERCIAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

Arup

WorkStack

B&K Structures, General Projects, Conamar, Feix & Merlin, Heyne Tillett Steel, Stora Enso

Walwoth Town Hall

B&K Structures, Knight Harwood, Stiff & Trevillion, AKT II, Stora Enso

Arding & Hobbs

Buckland Timber

Sherborne House

EURBAN, Chetwoods, Baytree, Pabst Holz + Stora Enso

Baytree Nuneaton

Glenfort Timber Engineering

Junction 20 Fuel Station

HESS TIMBER GmbH

UCB Campus Windlesham

Hybrid Structures, Haptic Architects, Ramboll, Argent

W3 Kings Cross

WB Timber Innovations

Unusual Rigging New HQ

Xylotek

ARUP Birmingham Office Fit Out

RETAIL & LEISURE PROJECT OF THE YEAR

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

B&K Structures, Willmott Dixon, Space & Place, Engenuiti & Stora Enso

Cozenton Park Sports Centre

ConstruktCLT

Armadillo CLT Sound Pavilion

EURBAN, Reed Watts Architects, Roundhouse + Stora Enso

Roundhouse Works

Makers Mark Joinery

Ty Sanctaidd Roundhouse

National Trust WCCC

Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre

Ramboll

Grimes Graves Project

LOW ENERGY PROJECT OF THE YEAR

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

B&K Structures, Morgan Sindall, HLM Architects, Engenuiti & Stora Enso

Trent View College

Buckland Timber Five Rivers Health & Wellbeing Centre

Engenuiti, Holmes Miller Architects, KLH UK & Rolton Group

Buntingford First School

Heritage Oak Frames

Lucinda Leech’s Passive House

SIPS@Clays

Westfield, Northumberland

SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

SIP Build UK

Bamber Bridge Affordable Housing

Lowfield Timber Frames & Mole Architects

Girton Almshouses

Winner - Retail & Leisure Project of the Year 2023

Arup - Sky Pavilion

Winner - Low Energy Project of the Year 2023

James Gorst Architects - New Temple Complex

PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

B&K Structures, F Parkinson, dRMM, ARUP & Stora Enso

Charlton WorkStack

Ecologic SIPs

Golf Links Road

Facit Homes Court House

Fermin Beltran Dos Santos, Fife Architects

WOODBURN CERES, Oak Frame Extension, Fife

Heritage Oak Frames & Lucinda Leech

Lucinda Leech’s Passive House

HESS TIMBER GmbH

UCB Campus Windlesham

Heyne Tillett Steel, Studio Egret West & Hybrid Structures

The Arbour Brent Cross West

HLM Architects

Joint Bands School at Sandhurst

Hybrid Structures, Haptic Architects, & Ramboll

W3 Kings Cross

Makers Mark Joinery

Ty Sanctaidd Roundhouse

Winner - Project of the Year 2023

Engenuiti,

ARCHITECT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

Adventure Plus

WC & Shower Hub

Corstorphine & Wright

Wednesfield Technology Primary School

dRMM WorkStack

Haptic Architects

W3, Kings Cross

Heatherwick Studio, Veretec (UK)

UCB Campus Windlesham

HLM Architects

HLM Architects

Justin Bere

Brambles

MawsonKerr

Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre

Paper House Project

Martin Luther King Adventure Playground

Stiff & Trevillion

Arding & Hobbs

ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

Arup WorkStack

Engenuiti & Integral Engineering

Haileybury SciTech

Harley Haddow

Harley Haddow

Ramboll

W3 Kings Cross

Simple Works

The Acorn

B&K Structures, Stora Enso & Ryder ArchitectureDogger Bank O&M Base, Port of Tyne

Winner - Engineer of the Year 2023 Arup - Sky Pavilion

Winner - Architect of the Year 2023

HLM Architects - NMIS

Structural Timber Awards 2024

CLIENT OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

Cody Dock, University of Westminster

The Growing Space

Haileybury Independent School

Haileybury SciTech

Linda & David Shall

Brambles

Related Argent

W3 Kings Cross

South Ribble Council & Progress Housing Group

Bamber Bridge Affordable Housing

INSTALLER OF THE YEAR

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

B&K Structures

Beech Court Pavilion, Abingdon School

HESS TIMBER GmbH

UCB Campus Windlesham

Hybrid Structures

W3 Kings Cross

Mint Construction

Eden Lake Retreat

Moduloft

Seahouses x Moduloft

CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

Eden Insulation, Bow & Tie Construction

Brambles

Foxton Construction

Unusual Rigging New HQ

Glulam Solutions

Harley Haddow

JK London Construction

Dragon Flat

SJ Roberts Construction

Luxury Lodges Bluestone

PROJECT/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

B&K Structures, Knight Harwood, Stiff & Trevillion, AKT II & Stora Enso

Arding & Hobbs

Gardiner & Theobald LLP

The Arbour Brent Cross West

ConstruktCLT

Armadillo CLT Sound Pavilion

Henry Riley

Clare College

Peter Gunning & Partners

Sherborne House

PIONEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by:

Arup

Fire Safe Design of Mass Timber Buildings

Arup

WorkStack

Harley Haddow

Ewan Duffin, Associate Director

Facit Homes

Court House

New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering

Professor Robert Hairstans

Winner - Installer of the Year 2023

D&S Baucon - Terminal 5 Cruise Line, Southampton Port

Winner - Product Innovation Award 2023 Rothoblaas UK - AlumegaPinned Connection for Post Beam

Winner - Client of the Year 2023

Sky - Sky Osterley Campus

PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

Abode Industries

Bygo

ARC Building Solutions

TCB Square

English Brothers

Part L Compliant Insulated Timber Frame Panels

hsbcad

hsbView: Your Gateway to a Paperless Factory

Leitz Tooling

HeliCut Monoblock

OSKOP

Greatfields School, London Borough Barking & Dagenham

Partel

VARA PLUS ECO Paper-based vapour control layer

Rotho Blaas UK

UP LIFT - System for Timber Buildings raised installation

Simpson Strong-Tie CLT Connector & Fastener Solutions & KLH

Brentwood School

Vistry Group

Vistry Innovation Centre

TIMBER ICON OF THE DECADE

TIMBER ICON OF THE DECADE

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

2015 Winner of Winners

Arup Associates & B&K Structures

Believe in Better Building

2016 Winner of Winners

Sarah Wigglesworth Architects

Mellor Primary School

2017 Winner of Winners

B&K Structures & Waugh Thistleton

Architects

Dalston Lane

2018 Winner of Winners

Arup, L&S Baucon GmbH, Robertson, Wiehag GmbH & Rogers Stirk Harbours + Partners

The Macallan Distillery

2019 Winner of Winners

Blumer-Lehmann AG, Gilbert Ash & Marks Barfield Architects

Cambridge Mosque

2020 Winner of Winners

Heatherwick Studio

Maggie’s Leeds

2021 Winner of Winners

Arup

International Quarter London (IQL)

2022 Winner of Winners

Ramboll

Clifford’s Tower

2023 Winner of Winners

James Gorst Architects

New Temple Complex

2024 Winner of Winners...

To be announced on 02 October!

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

For Sponsorship Enquiries please contact:

Emily Dyer

E: emily.dyer @radar-communications.co.uk T: 01743 290025

National Conference Centre

Birmingham

Winner of Winners 2016

Sarah Wigglesworth ArchitectsMellor Primary School

Winner of Winners 2017

B&K Structures & Waugh Thistleton ArchitectsDalston Lane

Optoppen – a no brainer?

Adding timber to existing buildings using lightweight roof extensions in mass timber can deliver massive carbon and construction benefits. Kelly Harrison, Director at Whitby Wood explains how.

In 2020 Whitby Wood plotted our ‘route to zero’ across our business operations, including the materials we specify in our projects. It quickly became apparent that, in the status quo, reaching our carbon goals is currently heavily dependent on technological advancements in hard-to-abate materials.

The UK Government’s COP26 policies also rely on the deployment of new technology options that won’t be operating at scale within thirty years. We need to move faster and work within the parameters we have to reduce carbon emitted now. So how can we use our technical expertise and our increasing understanding of bio-based materials to affect industry change before then?

Lightweight & low carbon

We are part of the UKFIRES consortium of industry and academic partners linking resource research with the engineering knowledge and skills needed to address the scientific and technological challenges facing the construction industry. Their premise is to find the business opportunity in using less and using the low-carbon technologies that already exist today. Based on our route to zero data, our lowest embodied carbon figures were achieved by projects that added to existing buildings using lightweight roof extensions in mass timber –or ‘Optoppen’, meaning ‘topping up’ in Dutch.

  Soho Square shows what can be done using an Optoppen approach. Courtesy Whitby Wood/Jim Stephenson

The high strength to weight ratio of industrialised timber enables the maximum possible floor area to be added to existing structures, without the need for strengthening or the addition of foundations, which regularly account for around half of the embodied carbon of a building. Some of our projects using Optoppen are reaching the IStructE’s SCORS targets for 2045+, today, already – proof that it can be done.

At a city scale, adding to existing buildings utilises existing infrastructure to its maximum, rather than requiring new transport, services and drainage at the edge of urban areas and adding to urban sprawl. The carbon sequestered in the wood remains in the bones of the new structure, where it will be locked away for the remaining life of the building – as well as being designed for disassembly and use in a future circular market. This way, our existing urban landscape is upgraded to act as a carbon store. And let’s not forget value. Most existing buildings require retrofitting to meet energy targets and attract

tenants in commercial buildings and reduce bills and prevent energy poverty in residential buildings. The scale of retrofit requirements is enormous. Adding lightweight, prefabricated extensions, creating value through additional units and floor area, could help fund the energy upgrade of the entire building.

Densification and energy efficiency, all whilst creating carbon sinks – a no- brainer? But there remain barriers to Optoppen – planning requirements, fire safety design, cost, perceived risk and insurance implications and an industry struggling with a lack of incentive, or margins, to consider ‘redevelopment’ in a new way.

Rethink redevelopment

Innovation projects, led by technical experts, can demonstrate new approaches – to both building owners and asset managers, and city planners and policymakers. Through our collaboration with the Built by Nature’s UK and European networks, Whitby Wood is leading a consortium of partners in the UK, Netherlands and Spain working to champion the vertical extension potential of our buildings and cities including Creative City Solutions, Holland Houtland, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Mule Studio, New Urban Networks EU and Rising Tide.

Funded by Built by Nature, the consortium is developing the Optoppen web platform and interactive tool for owners to assess their building stock and opportunity for extension, to determine how much floor area can be added and the amount of carbon can they store. The platform will also share examples of enabling policies to inspire regulatory change, and the potential city-scale impact looking at London, Rotterdam and Barcelona.

Optoppen, the lightweight roof extensions using timber and other bio-materials, increases the floor area in existing buildings, contributes to urban decarbonisation targets, carbon sinks, densification strategies and an efficient use of existing infrastructure. It’s a key step in the circular economy: using, and upgrading, the structures we have – and giving them longer lives.

Six months into the project, we are already being joined by developers, city officials and investors who realise the potential for sensitively ‘topping up’. As the movement grows, we hope to incentivise change in the planning system to encourage specific, considered fire design approaches for this type of construction, alter the economics looking at whole life carbon and carbon taxation, and lead to new relationships with timber MMC producers and refurbishment specialists. Due for release in November 2024, the Optoppen Built by Nature funded web platform aims to make an Impact on a City Scale. 

www.whitbywood.com

www.builtbn.org/solutions/optoppen/867

2 Soho Square, Westminster, London, UK

2 Soho Square is the refurbishment and extension of a listed Georgian townhouse for a private client and designed by architect Child Graddon Lewis. Located in the Soho Conservation Area, the scheme provides contemporary Grade A workspaces whilst restoring many of the building’s original features.

The Grade II listed office building was in a state of disrepair. The existing structure needed to be strengthened and restored, keeping to its original state where possible. As structural engineer for the refurbishment and extension, we took the building and created more space as well as easier access. The addition of a lightweight timber extension at roof level creates additional office space and aims to enhance the building’s presence within the square.

MRising Timber Lowering Carbon

The built environment is already responsible for almost 40% of global carbon emissions.

Johanna Pirinen, SVP, Sustainability and People & Culture, Wood Products Division, Stora Enso, picks out a few ways we can change this.

aking a meaningful move towards sustainability requires addressing the whole life carbon emissions of both new and renovated buildings. Sustainable materials, like mass timber, can reduce whole life carbon emissions but adoption is not as rapid as it could be.

All of which is to say, we need to get a grip on emissions emanating from the built environment. This will require a host of mindset shifts throughout the complex web of stakeholders involved – from architects and developers to insurers and occupants – but let’s focus on three.

Rebalancing operational and embodied carbon

Few people will now be surprised to see solar panels on roofs or heat pump compressors on walls, and the benefits of LEDs over incandescent light bulbs is well-established. This represents one side of the coin. The other is the embodied carbon. In this regard, progress has been much slower. The go-to ‘modern’ materials for architects and designers are steel and glass, built on a concrete structure. In fact, concrete, steel and aluminium production worldwide account for 23% of global emissions today. Unlike operational emissions – which can be reduced over time – these emissions are effectively locked-in from the design table onwards. That makes it even more time critical to address.

Rethinking materials

With concrete, steel and aluminium causing such a significant proportion of emissions, the natural question is – how can we improve on that? There are concerted efforts from those industries to lessen their footprint, including investing in new technologies such as electric arc furnaces and carbon capture. However, these trends are in their infancy and remain expensive and a way off widespread adoption. For many applications including structural ones, we can look to other materials, namely mass timber.

captured during a tree’s growth remains in the wood for the duration of the material’s lifecycle and is only released if the timber is allowed to rot or be burned. Timber can still be recycled and reused for purposes such as furniture, packaging, and paper after its initial use as a building material, thereby prolonging the period before the carbon is released.

Whole-life thinking

A building may stand for 50-100 years. Therefore, it is tempting to leave the question of dismantling and disposal to future generations. Tempting, but unjustifiable. Every day, old materials find their way to landfill, with only minimal reuse. It doesn’t have to be that way –elements can be designed for reuse, either in new buildings or in other sectors.

The move towards circularity backed by life cycle assessments (LCAs) seeks to address this, calculating the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle, from cradle to grave. Producers are therefore incentivised to extend that life cycle to attain better performance, whether through extended longevity or designed-for reuse.

“Mass timber refers to specifically manufactured wooden elements that replicate many of the structural advantages of what is assumed to be the gold standard materials – concrete and steel. If sourced from sustainably harvested forests, timber can be not only lower in carbon than these materials, but it can also be carbon negative.”

Johanna Pirinen, SVP, Sustainability and People & Culture

Mass timber refers to specifically manufactured wooden elements that replicate many of the structural advantages of what is assumed to be the gold standard materials – concrete and steel. If sourced from sustainably harvested forests, timber can be not only lower in carbon than these materials, but it can also be carbon negative. This is because carbon

This is true of all materials of course, but mass timber lends itself especially well to whole-life thinking. The natural first choice is reuse as a building element but failing that it can be repurposed for another sector. Today, the extensive industrial infrastructure for mass reuse and repurposing does not exist, but studies are ongoing that we can hope will address this by the time the buildings we erect today reach end of life.

We are not starting from square one. There are pockets of progress where these mindset shifts are already well underway. For example, in 2020 the French government introduced a law known as RE2020, which came into effect in 2022. In some of the Nordic and German-speaking countries, progress has been underway for some time. However, progress must be made on a global scale to keep whole life carbon in focus and help reducing the built environment’s contribution to global emissions. Mass timber presents itself as powerful means of contributing to sustainability and climate mitigation efforts. 

www.storaenso.com/en

Bringing a legacy of service & innovation to mass timber.

With over 65 years of leadership in structural timber engineering, Simpson Strong-Tie deliver smart solutions for mass timber construction.

Thoughtfully designed and rigorously tested products are just one part of our story. Our online BIM library, fastener selection software and expert technical support delivered when its needed are just some of the ways we help building designers achieve more.

Find out more about the Simpson difference at strongtie.co.uk/cross-laminated-timber-solutions