Structural Timber Magazine Issue 07 by Radar Communications

Structural Timber Magazine.co.uk

SPRING 2016 | £4.95

STMAG

Design Technology Sustainability Interviews News Analysis Case Studies

The latest in structural timber building design and technologies

CYGNUM TIMBER FRAME PIONEERING TIMBER FRAME IN EDUCATION

P30

P34

P60

hoUSe

Zero Bills Home

Facades

Urban Splash and shedkm offer up a choice of flexible living using a closed panel volumetric timber frame

Timber is at the heart of the latest slice of ZED Life

Cladding, ‘thermal wrappers’ and securing a better building envelope

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WELCOME TO The start of 2016 has been characterised by a surge of interest in timber and its ability to deliver a more sustainable built environment. Industry forecasts expecting structural timber frame to represent 30% of new housing projects by 2017 are hugely positive. An All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Timber Industries has also been created to help promote timber as the ‘most sustainable and renewable building material’ and develop new economic measures to boost the timber supply chain and the £55 million investment by Legal & General, in a British-based CLT factory near Leeds could be a game changing development – more on this in Structural Timber Magazine later in the year. As we went to press, Willmott Dixon signed a three-year strategic agreement with Robertson Timber Engineering as sole supplier of timber frames to provide 1,000 offsite homes a year. And tall timber grabbed the headlines once again with the unveiling of a concept for London’s

Barbican – I have my personal doubts about the viability of the 80-storey ‘Toothpick’ – but lots of national timber talk!

pivotal to the future success of Bill Dunster and his ZED team’s quest for sustainable, affordable, comfortable and desirable living.

Housing is a key theme this issue. Although the demise of the Zero Carbon Hub and the driving housing policy behind it has left a sour taste in many mouths, there is real willingness in adopting structural timber for new homes. Take some time to read about Urban Splash and shedkm’s hoUSe in New Islington, Manchester. This timber-based residential concept could revolutionise the UK’s attitudes to housing where buyers can configure their home exactly as they want it.

Cladding and facades can make or break a building – sometimes literally if poorly fitted and maintained. We focus on the building envelope with some industry views on ventilation, insulation and breathability plus ST Mag’s technical voice – Timber Chap – explains how to steer clear of some common pitfalls and provides top tips on what specifiers and installers can do to avoid some sleepless nights.

ST Mag was also at the launch of the Zero Bills Home at BRE, Watford recently. Once more timber and offsite manufacture are

Many thanks to all our contributors, advertisers and supporters. Enjoy... Gary Ramsay | Consultant Editor E: gary.ramsay@structuraltimbermagazine.co.uk

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STMAG | www.structuraltimbermagazine.co.uk | 3

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CONTENTS

THIS ISSUE... P6 | COVER STORY - CYGNUM Cygnum has extensive experience in creating sustainable and pioneering timber frame structures for educational establishments. They play a huge part in the Priority School Building Programme second phase (PSBP2) where they are rolling out a range of award-winning Passive House buildings, including the Oak Meadow Primary School.

P8 | REMOVING BARRIERS & STRENGTHENING COLLABORATION Chief Executive of the STA, Andrew Carpenter, looks back at the many industry issues raised during a successful Ecobuild 2016.

P28 | EXPLORE OFFSITE – HOUSING The first of 2016’s Explore Offsite events concentrated on how offsite manufacture can help ease the UK’s housing issues. Both days saw the audience hear a range of views on where offsite is set to flourish.

P40 | PROVIDING CONFIDENCE IN THE USE OF NEW TIMBER TECHNOLOGIES What can the structural timber industry do to address issues of quality assurance? Darren Richards, Managing Director, Cogent Consulting, sees valuable answers in better supply chain integration and third-party assessments.

P45 | LESSONS IN SOLID WOOD The pressures on building better quality learning environments is huge. Gavin White, Director, Ramboll UK, illustrates how CLT and glulam is making a real impact in improving conditions in education.

P50 | GROWING THE USE OF TIMBER IN EDUCATION Nic Clark, Managing Director, KLH UK explains how William Perkin C of E School benefited from a move from an in-situ reinforced concrete frame to CLT.

P10 | UK & OVERSEAS NEWS

P30 | FLEXIBLE LIVING ALWAYS

A quick round-up of some recent news stories from the timber and construction sectors that you may have missed including a new All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Timber Industries, the passing of Zaha Hadid and more tall timber.

Timber and offsite manufacture are at the heart of one of the UK’s most exciting housing developments. hoUSe is Urban Splash’s new residential concept and is set to revolutionise the UK’s attitudes to housing.

P26 | FACTORY VISIT – PASQUILL

P34 | ZED LIFE

P66 | BRIMSTONE FIRES BACK

Zero carbon design pioneer Bill Dunster and his ZED Factory recently unveiled the latest element of the ZED-mix. The Zero Bills Home and ZED Pods are offsite manufactured, hybrid timber and steel frame housing aimed at a new generation of homeowner.

Tom Barnes of Vastern Timber, describes how timber cladding is enjoying a surge in interest and understanding and how the UK timber industry is fighting back against imported timber.

As the largest supplier of trussed rafters in the UK, Pasquill is at the forefront of a range of engineered timber roofing/ flooring products. With a new technology investment programme across the business, efficiency and productivity are increasing to impressive new levels.

P38 | THE FUTURE OF DELIVERY Can timber and offsite manufacture combine to provide housing efficiencies? Rob Charlton, Chief Executive, Space Group, believes it can.

P60 | TIMBERCHAP - FACADES Facades can help define our built environment. Our resident technical expert helps you stop delivering a system with a lifetime of maintenance and costs and create a building of performance and respect.

P78 | CAN OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION SOLVE THE SKILLS SHORTAGE? Jim Roach, Managing Director of specialist recruiter ARV Solutions, highlights some important areas that need addressing before offsite construction can really successfully close the skills gap.

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COVER STORY

Enhanced Building Performance = Enhance Education Performance

IMAGE: 01. Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia Image courtesy Darren Carter

Cygnum Timber Frame continue to play a huge part in the Priority School Building Programme second phase (PSBP2) where they are rolling out a range of award-winning Passive House education buildings, including the successful 2300 square metre Oak Meadow Primary School in Wolverhampton.

01 The Priority School Building Programme second phase (PSBP2) was launched with the promise to address the needs of schools across the country. A total of £2 billion has been invested in the programme with a batch of 277 schools planned to have at least one of their buildings or blocks rebuilt or refurbished by 2017.

PSBP2 calls for a fast, lean and cost effective method of construction, as all schools within the programme are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2017. Cygnum Timber Frame has extensive experience in creating sustainable and pioneering structures for educational establishments.

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With a broad portfolio of high-profile education projects – ranging from nurseries and schools to academies and universities – Cygnum’s expert team deliver the client vision through an all-encompassing in-house Passive House design, engineering, manufacturing and installation service. The company is now recognised as the leading supplier of timber frame to the Passive House sector in the UK.

COVER STORY Head Teacher of Oak Meadow Primary School, Sara Morris comments: “The children are more alert in the afternoon and are more attentive because the air is so fresh and comfortable. It has raised our spirits, the children and teachers love our Passive House School.” “Structural timber frame has become a valuable tool for enhancing education environments,” says Mark Smith, Director of Timber Engineering. “Being a largely prefabricated offsite solution, panels are factory-manufactured to exceptional levels of accuracy, ensuring minimal defects. This improves procurement, construction and project delivery timescales as well as reducing costs, saving money and maximising efficiency on all levels. Timber is fast becoming the material of choice for specifiers due to its inherent qualities, including speed of construction, airtightness and carbon sequestration, minimisation of onsite health and safety risk, as well as its effect on environmental performance and indoor air and aesthetic qualities.” Cost & Sustainable Benefits Designing to Passive House standards with structural timber technology creates a natural, inviting and calming environment that can enhance the learning environment. When used in educational buildings, the structure generates a peaceful space for effective teaching and delivers schools that are cost effective and adaptable for future adjustment. Cost is a key factor in the government’s plans for the creation of new education buildings. The government’s “more for less” strategy involves a considerable degree of standardisation across new build schools, particularly in reference to architecture and layout – providing the opportunity for the benefits of a factory manufactured

structural timber solution to be fully exploited. Cost comparison in educational buildings has to be carried out at a ‘whole project’ level. Thermal, acoustic and airtightness contributions from the structural frame, as well as programme savings and the cost benefits associated with offsite manufactured systems, must all be taken into account when comparing the commercial benefit of one structural material against another. Timber Design Exceeds Expectations The benefits of the use of structural timber in education buildings are now becoming widely recognised and a greater focus is also being placed on the long-term benefits of designing to Passive House standards. The new 3400 square metre Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia, achieved a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating and aims to encourage new sustainable businesses from graduates who emerge from its academic research programme and those involved in activities within the wider Norwich Research Park. To achieve the requirements of the brief the building was designed to meet a 100-year design life. The design exceeds recognised ‘best practice’, with embodied carbon (including sequestration) between 20-25% below many new university buildings. The timber frame structure was manufactured using Corsican pine timber sourced locally from Thetford Forest. The construction of the building is partly beam and post with 340mm thick timber frame racking walls and 400mm deep roof panels filled with Warmcell insulation. Optimising the structural engineering approach was achieved by using cross-laminated timber for the lift shafts. Focused detailing of the structural joints within the building has resulted in a tested airtightness of 0.21 air changes per hours @50 Pascals pressure. “Cygnum was one of the first companies in the UK to develop a building system

certified by the Passivhaus Institute in Germany,” adds Mark Smith. “Our in-house design team have designed a flexible cost-effective external wall system which surpasses all the rigorous Passive House tests and challenges, including: airtightness (minimum air leakage from the building), thermal bridging (minimise cold bridges formed by the structure in the insulation zone) and U-value (reduced wall U-value to a minimum of 0.13W/m2K). We are in a unique position to offer passive wall solutions tailored to suit client needs. “We customise the solution based on understanding a range of criteria, including; target U-value, preferences on green technologies and airtight solutions. Our Passive House experience permeates all aspects of our business from engineering and design through to on-site installation thereby providing a seamless experience as part of our dedicated customer service.” The University of East Anglia Enterprise Centre has been widely recognised by experts in the industry, picking up the Education Estates Awards Sustainable Project and also being highly commended for the Education Estates Awards Project of the Year in 2015. Cygnum Timber Frame are now involved in a wide range of Passive House buildings in the education sector and are working with a number of pioneering architects and contractors. Its team of talented specialists includes two highly qualified Passivhaus designers who have passed the rigorous exams set by the Passivhaus Institute and are experienced in the design, engineering and onsite phases of education, residential and large commercial projects. If you’d like to contact us, one of our team will be happy to answer any questions you have or to discuss your ideas for your next project. For more information visit: www.cygnum.co.uk

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STA COLUMN

Removing Barriers & Strengthening Collaboration Chief Executive of the STA, Andrew Carpenter, looks back at the industry issues raised during a successful Ecobuild 2016, where visitor numbers to the STA stand were higher than ever.

Structural timber frame is increasing in popularity – especially amongst the self-build sector, private developers and affordable housing providers. With energy efficiency and speed of build the main deciding factors, affordable housing providers look to ensure that their tenants will be able to afford property-heating costs as well as reduce the number of defects that are often seen with other build methods during a skills shortage. A topic of great discussion at both Ecobuild and the special STA lunches was the skills shortage. It was an issue that was identified as requiring a multitude of approaches, with a clear focus on encouraging and promoting construction careers amongst students through apprenticeships and schemes such as the Construction Excellence South West’s ‘Adopt a School’ campaign. However, the lag time in these newly qualified professionals entering the sector presents an issue. Ecobuild 2016 was also the launch platform for the Structural Timber Estimating Guide. Providing estimated costings for building in structural timber frame, the guide enables quantity surveyors easy access to estimating figures for new projects. In order to reach the Government’s housebuilding aspirations for 2020, the construction sector needs to utilise the skills we currently have and make them go further. This means working closer together

to identify duplication and remove wasteful practices as well as using innovative new build methods such as offsite construction, to build more high quality homes quickly. A sustainable alternative to traditional brick and block construction methods, structural timber frame also offers a much faster speed of build along with higher energy efficiency. As highlighted at the STA Ecobuild lunches – removing barriers, such as the omission of a timber section within popular quantity surveyor estimating guides – and speaking with a collaborative common voice is essential to the continued growth of the timber sector. By breaking down misconceptions of the sector and encouraging a shift in construction culture to embrace change, and alternative building materials, the sector will continue to increase its market share. Looking at the current climate, with Barratt Homes working with Stewart Milne to provide residential properties, Legal and General investing in its own offsite timber based residential factory and the Government removing planning obstacles, the opportunity for the timber sector is great and apparent. To take advantage of these positive factors, the supply chain should look to work together. Collaborative action such as further educating site managers surrounding the changes in timing with regards to follow-on trades, will result in

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better sequencing of work, allowing quicker build time to convert into cost savings for developers. As the construction industry looks for alternative, high quality, faster building methods, the structural timber industry is the ideal solution offering not only these benefits additionally an energy efficient, sustainable one. Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive, Structural Timber Association E: andrew.carpenter@structuraltimber.co.uk W: www.structuraltimber.co.uk

STA 2016 Factory Tours Kingspan Timber Solutions and CCG OSM are among those opening their factory doors to construction professionals to allow them to discover more about their advanced timber building techniques. These informative factory tours are designed to provide a better understanding of why precisionengineered timber is becoming so popular. The tours will highlight the benefits of timber, the design and build process, offsite manufacturing and focus on the environmental benefits. The tours will take place at • Kingspan Timber Solutions - 21st April at Great Gransden, Bedfordshire • CCG OSM - 10th May at CCG, Glasgow • Kingspan TEK Selby, North Yorkshire 12th May, 14th July, 22nd September and 10th November. For more information and to book your visit: www.structuraltimber.co.uk/events

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS NORBORD INVEST £95 MILLION IN INVERNESS OSB MILL

IMAGE: 01. Karl Morris Norbord

01 The investment will upgrade the mill to continuous press technology and nearly double its production capacity, positioning it to meet growing demand for OSB in markets across the United Kingdom and Europe, as well as securing the long-term future of its employees and the indirect jobs it provides across the region. The investment is further supported by a development grant from Highlands and Islands Enterprise of up to €15 million. “Demand for OSB is increasing rapidly and this investment will ensure we can continue to meet customers’ needs and remain at the forefront of the European industry,” said Karl Morris, Managing Director, Norbord Europe and a Senior Vice President of the company. “Our Sterling OSB product manufactured in Inverness is the UK’s leading OSB brand, and with direct road, rail and port access the reinvested mill will be in an even better position to efficiently serve our customers across the UK and in

continental Europe. This investment underscores Norbord’s long-term commitment to Inverness and the Highlands region, and we look forward to continuing to play an important role in the community.” Built in the early 1980s, the mill at Morayhill was the first in Europe to manufacture OSB, and was also the first OSB plant in Europe to receive Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation. The expanded mill – which Norbord expects to come online in the second half of 2017, with no disruption to production in the interim – will continue its commitment to sustainability, including generating its own heat energy from the biomass wood residue that is a by-product of the production process. Peter Wijnbergen, Norbord’s President and Chief Executive Officer, added: “This strategic investment reflects the importance and growth potential of our European operations, and will make our already

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strong European business an even more meaningful part of Norbord’s financial results.” “We have been working very closely with Norbord on their development plans and are delighted to be supporting the company to invest so substantially in its Highland base,” said Alex Paterson, Chief Executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. “This development will put Norbord’s Inverness plant on a sustainable footing for decades to come, and is a huge vote of confidence in the company’s Scottish workforce. It’s worth noting that the positive impact of the announcement will be felt well beyond Inverness and the Inner Moray Firth. Norbord is not only a significant local employer in its own right, it also plays an important strategic role in the region’s forestry sector and is a major user of haulage companies and port infrastructure.” SOURCE: www.norbord.co.uk

UK INDUSTRY NEWS BWF Welcomes new Government Construction Strategy The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) has welcomed the publication of the Government Construction Strategy: 2016-2020 highlighting key areas that will be of benefit to the joinery manufacturing and woodworking industry. The document is produced by the new Infrastructure & Projects Authority (IPA). It updates the Treasury’s earlier strategy published in 2011, and sets out how central government departments – collectively, the construction industry’s largest customer – will deliver £1.7 billion in efficiencies and support 20,000 apprenticeships over the course of this parliament. The strategy sets out ambitions for smarter procurement and greater productivity in central government, fairer payment, improving digital skills, embedding BIM, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing the public sector’s capability as a construction client. These themes are also consistent with the wider ambitions in the joint industry and government strategy, ‘Construction 2025’, which relates to both public and private sector, and is being delivered through the Construction Leadership Council.

“It is also encouraging for the timber sector to see front and centre a drive for whole-life approaches to cost and carbon reduction across the construction, operation and maintenance of public sector buildings. The mood music is right for skills too, highlighting the need to address the age imbalance that exists across the sector. The Government now needs to turn words into action and work with industry to decide where there is need to lead, to regulate and to encourage. Collaboration between us is essential to ensure our construction industry is not just fit for the future, but the envy of the world.” Download the Government Construction Strategy here: http://bit.ly/1TfZqLl SOURCE: www.bwf.org.uk

New Parliamentary Group Urges More Timber Usage Parliamentarians have set up a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Timber Industries. The group aims to help grow the use of timber and develop vibrant timber based industries. More than 40 parliamentarians have already registered as members. Timber industries contribute substantially to the UK construction and manufacturing industries, providing around 150,000 jobs across the skills spectrum and adding value of c£20bn to the UK economy.

Iain McIlwee, Chief Executive of the BWF, said: “We’re delighted to see that the Construction 2025 approach has not been cast aside and there is ongoing commitment to the core themes and solid thinking that we can all rally around. This strategy indicates that the Government is listening.

The APPG will help promote timber as the most sustainable and renewable building material and develop new economic measures to grow the whole timber industries supply chain. The members of the new cross-party group also want to encourage more young people to choose a career in the timber industries. The new APPG held its AGM on Tuesday 9 February 2016 at the House of Commons. Ian Paisley, MP for North Antrim, was

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elected as Chairman. He now chairs an officers group including Joint Vice Chairman and former minister Cheryl Gillan MP for Chesham and Amersham (Conservatives), Joint Vice Chairman Stephen Hepburn MP for Jarrow (Labour), Treasurer Steven Paterson MP for Stirling (SNP) and Secretary Stephen McPartland MP for Stevenage and Chair of the Furniture APPG (Conservatives). Timber industries APPG Chairman Ian Paisley MP said: “I am delighted to have been elected by my colleagues in both Houses. I am looking forward to chairing this new group which has already received cross-party support in the Commons and the Lords. My colleagues will endeavour to promote the use of timber UK wide but will also look forward to hearing how they could support timber businesses in their constituencies in particular.” Peter Hindle MBE Chairman of the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) said: “We are pleased that Ian and his fellow officers have put together a strong all-party group of parliamentary colleagues who will actively support the timber industries. We have been asked by Ian to provide the secretarial support for the group and are happy to provide assistance and information where we can.” The new APPG is also pushing for the Houses of Parliament to retain their traditional feel and appearance after the impending £3.5bn refurbishment. The choice is for MPs and peers to move out and get the work done in six years for £3.5bn to £4bn, or stay put and have the builders in for 32 years, at a cost of £5.7bn. A compromise being considered is for one house to move out at a time. This would mean 11 years of work in total and cost up to £4.4bn. The anticipated start date for the restoration and renewal programme is early 2020s. SOURCE: www.cti-timber.org

UK INDUSTRY NEWS BREEAM AWARD FOR UK PARLIAMENT’S EDUCATION CENTRE

IMAGES: 01-02. UK Parliament/Roger Harris

Following completion of the BRE Global reviewing process, UK Parliament’s Education Centre has been awarded an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM Certificate, achieving a score of 71%. The Education Centre was designed to fulfil BREEAM criteria, using effective insulation, efficient mechanical systems and low-energy electrical fittings, rainwater recycling and sustainable materials. Parliament’s Education Centre opened in July 2015. Since that date, it has received 40,723 visitors from 1,220 schools across the UK. Made up of five unique learning spaces, the Centre offers a range of programmes across different age groups. Designed in consultation with a range of experts including the History of Parliament Trust, the educational content complements national curriculum teaching of history, citizenship and politics. Project partner Constructional Timber worked on the timber elements. The project was situated at the end of the Houses of Parliament and consisted of a glulam frame, timber-framed wall panels and stressed skin roof panels, all the panels were fully insulated so were sent to site as a closed panel system. The project was approximately 900m2 and was successfully installed in a four week period. Dr Edge Watchorn, Head of Education, said: “I am delighted that we have been awarded an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating, acknowledging that we are achieving our goal of being energy efficient. The Education Centre was designed to be a dynamic and exciting place for children to learn about Parliament. In keeping with our focus on future generations, it’s important to us that we provide this service in a sustainable environment.”

SOURCE: www.constructionaltimber.com/palace-of-westminster-new-education-center WWW.PARLIAMENT.UK/EDUCATION

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS GOVERNMENT WARNS ON BUILDING REGULATIONS The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has reminded the roofing industry and housebuilding industry of the requirement to conform to building regulations. James Wharton MP said: “Building regulations require that building work is carried out with adequate and proper materials which are appropriate for the circumstances in which they are used. Building control bodies are responsible for checking compliance as with any other building regulations requirements. In addition, if a building material is covered by a harmonised European standard, the requirements of the European Construction Products Regulation will apply. This regulation is enforced by local authorities (Trading Standards in England, Scotland and Wales and district councils in Northern Ireland).” He said it in response to a concern raised by the Member of Parliament for Bassetlaw, John Mann MP, about the lacklustre adoption of BS5534:2014. John Mann MP raised the issue with the Secretary of State following a visit to one of his constituents, John Brash & Co. Ltd, which has invested nearly £1m in new technology to increase its production capabilities as the only British manufacturer of roofing battens in the UK to stay ahead of the new standard. At the meeting, the directors of the John Brash told John Mann MP of their fears about fraudulent foreign imports flooding the UK and the implications if they are used on the roofs of houses that are currently being built as part of the government’s commitment to building 300,000 more homes in the UK.

John Brash Chairman Christian Brash welcomed the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government’s comments and thanked his local MP for taking up the issue. “BS5534:2014 brings together some of the most significant changes in the roofing industry during the past 50 years and has set new, higher standards – which can only be good for UK housebuilding. However, we are very concerned that there are parts of our industry that are resistant to the new rules, and this is leaving the door open to substandard and in some cases fraudulent timber roofing batten. We have been very proactive as a business with our Take It as Red campaign to promote the benefits of BS5534:2014 and have so far distributed more than 30,000 copies of a bite-sized guide to the new standard. The Take It as Red campaign promotes the use of timber roofing batten that meets the new standard including its market-leading JB-Red. John Brash was recently listed as one of the top 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain. SOURCE: www.johnbrash.co.uk

Stop Press: John Brash & Co has been acquired by Marley Eternit in a deal worth £13 million. Paul Reed will become managing director of the new timber products range within Marley Eternit. Former John Brash managing director Chris Watson, will take on the role of chairman, following the departure of Christian Brash from the business.

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The Structural Timber Awards 2016 – Enter Now Returning for 2016, the Structural Timber Awards will once again reward outstanding projects, innovative products and dynamic people - all promoting excellence in structural timber across the UK. Across key sectors of construction, the Awards will showcase innovation, celebrate best practice and recognise expertise in timber technology and the ways it contributes to an attractive, energy efficient and sustainable built environment. The 2016 Awards will be presented at a high profile dinner on 19 October 2016 at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham. Enter before 31 May 2016 to be in with a chance to be recognised and rewarded at this fantastic event. Full details of the range of awards categories can be viewed online, including the newly added self-build and product marketing categories. Enter now at: www.structuraltimberawards.co.uk

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS SCOTCH WHISKY MIXES WITH TIMBER

Leading Architect Zaha Hadid Dies

As widely reported recently, Zaha Hadid, the world-renowned Iraqi-British architect whose designs included the London Olympic Aquatic Centre died aged 65 from a heart attack while being treated for bronchitis in a Miami hospital.

The Macallan Distillery is set sensitively into the beautiful landscape of the Scottish Highlands, adjacent to original 18th century manor house. A contemporary new facility, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, is envisioned to complement the natural beauty of the estate, meeting the client’s vision of an iconic, truly inspirational building as part of their luxury spirit brand. The design brief required a state-of-the art facility that will meet the growing demand for Macallan’s famous whisky as well as welcome visitors to enjoy the whisky-making process. Arup have worked closely with the Macallan’s whisky production engineers in order to showcase the process and co-ordinate distribution lines and interfaces in keeping with the architectural intent. Arup is providing structural, fire and building services, environmental and ecological advice as well as site-wide civil and structure engineering. The roof has been designed to create an undulating silhouette in balance with the

delicate countryside. Composed of a timber gridshell, the grass-covered double-curved roof will be one of the largest of its kind in the world. Abutments anchor the inclined steel columns which carry the roof. The ground slab contains ventilation ducts supplying air to the process hall within its formation. The building services at the visitor centre have been designed with simplicity in mind: clean lines and discrete placement ensure visitor focus is uncluttered. The entire building is fire-engineered to minimise the need for sprinklers. It does so by evacuating up to 12,000 litres of spilt alcohol in less than two minutes. The process hall and visitor centre are designed as single-storey spaces, with a total floor area of 8,100 square metres In order to minimise the material usage, the hall is formed from retaining walls. The distillery and visitor centre are due to open to the public in 2017. SOURCE: www.arup.com/projects/macallan_distillery

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Born in Baghdad in 1950, Hadid became the first female to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and won the Stirling Prize in 2010 and 2011. She established her own practice in London in 1979 – Zaha Hadid Architects – and with office partner Patrick Schumacher garnered a reputation across the world for her visionary, swooping organic and futuristic designs. Paying tribute RIBA President Jane Duncan said: “Dame Zaha Hadid was an inspirational woman, and the kind of architect one can only dream of being. Visionary and highly experimental, her legacy despite her young age, is formidable. She leaves behind a body of work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars that delight and astound people all around the world.” One of the most prominent figures in British creative culture and sought-after worldwide for her projects, Hadid’s legacy included a huge use of timber at the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan (pictured). Such was the scale of the construction project that 230 cubic metres of American white oak were used in the auditorium. For more information visit: www.zaha-hadid.com

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS STA Launches New QS Timber Frame Estimating Guide

the fundamental benefits associated with using different types of timber.

The Structural Timber Association (STA) has published a new Timber Frame Estimating Guide for quantity surveyors and those preparing construction budgets. The STA identified that while many estimators consider structural timber, they faced sourcing and pricing challenges, as timber does not appear in any industry recognised estimating guides.

Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive of the STA, said: “As the leading timber organisation in the UK, the STA is committed to providing a solution to help solve the perennial housing crisis and as such this document is a valuable and informative resource for Quantity Surveyors in today’s construction market.

The guide was a direct result of a construction think-tank set up by the STA to ensure better two-way communication between the timber sector and the wider UK industry and involved the collaboration of clients, contractors, architects, engineers, housebuilders, quantity surveyors and many more construction professionals. The new estimating guide is designed to act as an authoritative source of information for Quantity Surveyors, providing costings for timber products and raising awareness of

“The publication of this estimating guide is the result of a great deal of hard work and professionalism from our members and comes at a very pertinent time, as block and brick supply and skilled labour shortages amongst bricklayers, continue to plague the rate of growth in the housing sector. As an alternative to common construction methods, timber frame presents a sustainable, energy efficient and cost effective substitute to concrete or brick and block. Additionally, the use of timber frame housing can help the UK construction

industry to meet and potentially exceed, the Government’s target of building 400,000 affordable homes by 2020.” The STA has also updated its Code of Conduct to ensure its members fully support sustainable construction and quality standards. Making reference to the STA Site Safe policy and quality requirement documents, the ten-point conduct encourages the promotion of timber construction and best practice. Through the introduction of the new Code of Conduct, STA members commit to promoting the use of structural timber products that are sourced from well-managed and sustainable sources. To download the STA’s Timber Estimating Guide, please visit: www.structuraltimber. co.uk/information-centre

The new 8,000 square metre Development House will be organised around a central core, with a large foyer at ground level. It is designed to offer flexible tenancy, so could be occupied by either one or several companies. As well as offering light and ventilation, the glazed perimeter openings will provide various floors with garden terraces.

Ethical Property Looks to Waugh Thistleton Architecture firm Waugh Thistleton has unveiled plans to build a timber-framed office block in London’s Shoreditch that will reveal its state-of-the-art structure through a series of vertical slices. Proposed to replace the existing Development House complex at Leonard Circus, the new nine-storey office building will be among the tallest modern timber-framed buildings in the UK.

It will boast an all-timber structure that brings together glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT). Waugh Thistleton plans to reveal the new building’s wooden structure by dividing the building up into five quadrants and adding large sections of glazing in between. Passersby will clearly see the timber floor plates through these huge windows.

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“This is a really exciting scheme that can transform one of the key development sites in Shoreditch by creating a truly iconic building,” said Conrad Peberdy, Director for property developer Ethical Property. Building in timber offers a number of advantages, including minimised time on site, and associated sound and waste disturbance,” explained Andrew Waugh. “This translates to less impact on adjacent occupiers, street users and surrounding community.” SOURCE: www.waughthistleton.com

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UK INDUSTRY NEWS A. Proctor Group in London Stock Exchange’s Top 1000 Inspirational Companies The LSE report celebrates the UK’s fastestgrowing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses. The A. Proctor Group have a long and successful history of pioneering technically advanced products to meet the challenges within the construction industry including advanced thermal, acoustic, timber cladding and membrane products. To be included in the list, companies needed to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers. Keira Proctor, Managing Director of the A. Proctor Group said: “We are delighted to have been included in this Report and to have been identified as one of the LSE 1000

Companies to inspire Britain. It is not something that you can apply to be in so it was a well-received surprise for us. The list highlights the diversity of successful UK businesses. We would like to thank our employees who are our biggest asset for their hard work and dedication to the A. Proctor Group. Through innovation and hard work we are collectively responsible for growth in the business and successes.” Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive, London Stock Exchange Group said: “High growth SMEs are the driving force behind the UK economy, developing the skills, jobs and growth we need. But ambition alone is not enough; their success must be highlighted and their growth properly supported with appropriate finance.” Writing in the publication, Chancellor George Osborne MP says: “UK high-growth businesses are leading the charge in rebuilding

our economy. These companies are the backbone of the British economy. They create high-quality, well paid jobs, innovate and drive economic growth. This government fully understands the need to support ambitious entrepreneurs and ensure they can access the finance they need to grow.” A full searchable database of all of the companies along with a downloadable pdf of the publication can be found online at: www.1000companies.com

NEWS IN BRIEF UK Timber Window Growth Latest independent research from Palmer Market Research, reveals that the UK timber window market is experiencing significant growth in volume. The UK timber window market grew in 2015 by 17.1% to 739,000 frames and by 25.4% to £439m in installed value with growth set to continue until at least 2019. The report shows how the market has changed with wood windows now achieving a significant premium over PVCu. AHEC Holds 2016 European Conference in Copenhagen The American Hardwood Export Council is reviving its conference formula on 20 & 21 October 2016 in Denmark. AHEC will bring together leaders from the US hardwood industry and major buyers from European markets to discuss challenges and opportunities under the theme ‘Driving change in European hardwood markets”.

Wood for Good CPD Seminars Announced Wood for Good in partnership with the Forestry Commission is working with Exova (previously BM TRADA) to deliver a new package of CPD seminars to be held throughout 2016. The sessions will show how engineered wood products can provide larger, stronger and stiffer components, which in some cases have forms not present in tree stems. New Wood Campus Timber Merchanting Award Backed by the timber industry and accredited by ProSkills/Occupational Awards, this online programme consists of 18 modules, providing a Level 3 Award in Timber Merchanting. Lessons cover product, technical and legislation and include a separate section on working in the merchant environment. The whole programme has a total qualification time of 39 hours.

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TTF Appoint New Head of Policy & Sustainability Mike Worrell, formerly enforcement manager at the NMRO, the Government agency responsible for the implementation of the European Timber Regulation has joined the Timber Trade Federation. David Hopkins, managing director of the TTF said: “Mike’s knowledge of the timber regulatory landscape and the obligations it places on the timber industry will be invaluable in helping our members’ improve their own processes and business operations.” Willmott Dixon Targets 1,000 Homes a Year Using Offsite Willmott Dixon plans to build 1000 homes a year using offsite manufacture. As part of this, they have signed a three-year ‘strategic agreement’ with Robertson Timber Engineering as sole supplier of timber frame. The benefits of sole supplier arrangements,

UK INDUSTRY NEWS including design standardisation, greater quality of product and more efficient construction timeframes, provide economics of scale for its residential building capability. ETTF Launches New Website The website ‘Gateway to international Timber Trade’ (www.timbertradeportal.com) has been launched by the European Timber Trade Federation (ETTF). International timber traders will find here a one-stop information point for forest industry information, legal timber trade, country requirements and export from timber producing countries. The overall objective is to enhance and facilitate legal trade in tropical timber. Södra Acquire Crown Timber Södra Group have acquired the remaining shares in Crown Timber. Södra previously held 20% of the shares in the company and have now

acquired the remaining 80%. As a part of the Södra ‘Wood’ division, Crown Timber will be responsible for the expansion of the timber products sales activities in the UK and Ireland. As well as structural timber Crown Timber will now also distribute solid and parquet flooring and wood pellets. Central Point of Expertise for Timber (CPET) Closes Since 2004, CPET has supported central government procurers and their suppliers to source legal and sustainable timber, palm oil and woodfuel. This has been achieved through workshops, newsletters, and answering queries via email and phone. The suite of online guidance on gov.uk will continue to host useful guidance documents and checklists.

Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) BIM Guidance The practice note – Building Information Modelling (BIM), Collaborative and Integrated Team Working – is intended as a guide to assist practitioners in gaining a greater understanding of BIM and provides information on the integration of BIM and collaborative working within the contract process. The guidance includes an overview of BIM, an explanation of the different BIM levels and a summary of mechanisms and industry standards.

For the very latest news about developments in the structutal timber sector visit: www.structuraltimbermagazine.co.uk

General Manager, Timber Systems Division James Jones & Sons Ltd is one of the UK’s largest and most progressive timber companies, with core activities in sawmilling, I-Joist and pallet manufacture. Due to imminent retirement, we are seeking to appoint a new General Manager responsible for our Timber Systems Division, the unit that manufactures the UK’s leading and most widely specified engineered wood product, JJI-Joists. Reporting directly to the Board, the General Manager will have a proven track record in a senior managerial role and will be responsible for all of the functions in the Division which include manufacturing, sales, timber engineering and design, and software development. Candidates must be able to demonstrate a sound knowledge of the UK engineered wood market and, in particular, a commercial appreciation and understanding of the UK house building and timber frame manufacturing sectors. Working either from Forres or Larbert, the successful candidate will be responsible for the Division’s own budget and P&L, and will have the credibility and ability to manage a team of more than 45 personnel. The candidate must be capable of implementing the Division’s long term growth strategy, deliver projects and drive sales across UK and Europe. This represents a very challenging, but stimulating, opportunity within one of the leading, privately owned, companies in the UK timber sector.

Package: Competitive salary and bonus commensurate with experience, company car and contributory pension scheme. Applications: Please send your CV to arrive no later than Friday 20th 6th May 2016 to: Ms Donna O’Connor, HR Advisor, James Jones & Sons Limited, Broomage Avenue, Larbert, FK5 4NQ or email: recruitment@jamesjones.co.uk

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04/04/2016 09:17

OVERSEAS NEWS USA CLT First for US Hotel

Lendlease is celebrating the grand opening of the new Candlewood Suites® on Redstone Arsenal, the first hotel in the

country to be completely constructed using cross laminated timber (CLT). The hotel’s ribbon cutting event highlights the innovative partnership between the United States Army, Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels. The FSC-certified CLT is projected to achieve a 31% energy savings when compared to typical hotel buildings of the same size for the same climate.

Americas. “The use of CLT and other integrated methodologies has made it possible to ‘do more with less’ by constructing projects faster, with less labour and safer than conventional materials and methods. Lendlease has pioneered the use of this material in Australia and the UK, and we’re excited to expand our CLT portfolio into the Americas region.”

The 62,688 square foot structure includes 92 guest rooms, and utilised 1,200 CLT wall panels and 200,000 CLT fasteners. It took the 11-man Lendlease crew 10 working weeks to erect the building, which is a 40% reduction in crew size and man hours, and 37% faster than conventional framing materials and methods. “Lendlease embraces innovation to create the best places and deliver sustainable outcomes,” said Denis Hickey, CEO for Lendlease

Part of the Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL) Program, Lendlease is the owner, developer, design-builder and asset manager for the Candlewood Suites on Redstone Arsenal, and the exclusive developer for the Department of Defense’s only lodging privatisation program. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is the hotel operator. SOURCE: www.lendlease.com

Australia Timber Spiral Set for Sydney

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has unveiled an’ iconic’ timber design for Sydney’s new Darling Exchange development. The Darling Exchange will comprise a library, childcare centre, market hall as well as a rooftop bar and restaurant providing views over Cockle Bay. The Darling Exchange will feature the Japanese architect’s characteristic timber cladding and will comprise six curving floorplates which are arranged off centre to create a beehive-like appearance. Walkways will also be angled to create a spiralling cylindrical design.

“Our aim is to achieve architecture that is as open and tangible as possible to the community, and this is reflected in the circular geometry that creates a building that is accessible and recognisable from multiple directions. The wooden screen wraps the exterior of the building in a dynamic and exciting manner, a historical reference to Darling Harbour originally being a hive of business activity and a focal point as a market exchange.” Local Lord Mayor Clover Moore added: “I am very pleased that the City has reached an in-principle agreement with Lendlease for two floors of the fabulous Kengo Kuma building. The contemporary library will include a flexible space for seminars and workshops, with technology to support entrepreneurs and innovators.

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Kengo Kuma’s striking spiral-like building is an inspired design, and this agreement with Lendlease means the City will have a building that meets the needs of the community now and into the future.” Darling Square and The Darling Exchange are being developed by Lendlease and is expected to create housing for 4,200 residents, 2,500 jobs, and attract visitors to the area. The Darling Exchange has now been submitted for planning permission and pending approval is expected to open in 2018. Kengo Kuma is known for his innovative use of timber, which gives texture to both the interiors and exteriors of his buildings. Among his previous projects is a Tokyo cake shop encased in intricate timber latticework, a computing facility covered in hundreds of wooden strips and a Starbucks cafe with walls covered in criss-crossing beams. SOURCE: www.smh.com.au

PLEASE QUOTE STAS

OVERSEAS NEWS Sweden

France

Råå Preschool Wins Swedish Timber Prize 2016

PopUp House

01 Råå Preschool in Helsingborg was declared the winner of the Swedish Timber Prize 2016, one of Sweden’s best known architectural prizes, which is awarded every four years to a building that represents good Swedish architecture in wood and that reflects and improves the times we live in. The prize winner was presented with the Golden Horse trophy and prize money of SEK 100,000.

The jury for the Swedish Timber Prize comprised Anders Svensson (architect), Karolina Keyzer (architect), Carmen Izquierdo (architect), Rahel Belatchew Lerdell (architect) and Tomas Alsmarker (civil engineer). They had the difficult task of choosing a winner from the 139 submitted entries. From the final shortlist of 10 nominees, the jury was unanimous in naming Råå Preschool the winner.

The Jury statement read: “Råå Preschool is a great example of high ambitions from the client and the architect, with regard to designing an inspiring environment and scale on the children’s terms, interpreting the conditions of the site and exploiting the possibilities of wood to create playful and innovative forms and expressions. The jury particularly values the high level of ambition applied to a municipal building for children. This is a category of building that isn’t always afforded the greatest care and ambition. The clever use of materials and attention to detail offer a new way of protecting against the elements while creating a richly realised interior that meets functional needs and invites interaction and experiences. Råå Preschool makes a convincing statement about the importance of space for children and young people.”

SOURCE: www.swedishwood.com

IMAGE: 01. Åke Eson Lindman

China New CLT Report Focuses on China ‘Global and Chinese Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) Industry, 2016 Market Research Report’ is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global CLT industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology and explores the international and Chinese industry players in detail.

Currently in development in France, the PopUp House is constructed by snapping together sections of insulated wooden blocks, then screwing them in place. The solar-powered, environmentally friendly structures also require no heating or A/C systems, reducing their carbon footprint. Constructed mostly of laminated timber and wood boards insulated with a 30cm thickness of expanded polystyrene (EPS), the PopUp House is recyclable. It’s also durable: its extra-long, 1.05-meter galvanised wood screws are able to hold the entire construct together tightly. Something that also helps guarantee an airtight, energy efficient, cost-saving environment. The addition of thermovolatic panels, wind turbines and even a green roof can easily turn this passive structure into a positive energy creating source. SOURCE: www.popup-house.com/en/

The report presents company profiles, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2011-2016 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of CLT industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country and by application/type for a competitive landscape analysis. The report also estimates 2016-2021 market development trends of the CLT industry. MORE INFORMATION: http://bit.ly/1ZZZ3Wf

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The Problem Delivering the right amount of ventilation to the right rooms in the right location.

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FACTORY VISIT

Engineering Evolution As the largest supplier of trussed rafters in the UK, Pasquill is at the forefront of a range of engineered timber roofing/flooring products. With a new technology investment programme across the business, efficiency and productivity are increasing to impressive new levels.

Part of the Saint-Gobain Group since 2007, Pasquill operates across a network of 10 regional manufacturing sites and 17 design centres in the UK and sees them deliver one of the UK’s largest range of roofing and flooring products, from standard roof and room-in-roof trusses and spandrel panels to I-beams (JJI-Joists), open web joists (Posi-Joists™) and floor cassettes. The last two years has seen an upsurge in workload from all sectors spanning the DIY and self-builder to national volume housebuilders. The ability to manage orders and shift workload around its regional sites has meant a slick and efficient production pipeline, delivering cost certainty and customer confidence. The growing market for precision engineered timber products has also put the pressure on all aspects of the construction market. “Engineered timber is certainly a more requested product and it is growing in popularity and understanding,” says Clare Pickin, Operations Director. “There are multiple different solutions available to architects and building designers now and that is where we are being really successful.

01 Pasquill is all about manufacturing excellence and finding solutions to problems by delivering with certainty a quality product design. A room-in-roof, or ‘posi-attic’ for example, gives you a free room in the roof simply by designing with engineered timber.” The precision required of engineered products has now been aided by the introduction of a state-of-the-art laser projection system for its Redhill manufacturing plant. This is part of the company’s overall strategy to be at the forefront of the latest technology, increase productivity and enhance quality control procedures. The new technology, which uses laser light patterns to create work templates, has increased the site’s truss assembly capacity, through the reduction of setup and cycle times.

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“Through an offsite manufactured process, we can tailor to a very exact requirement and get it right every time, it’s all about standardisation and repeatability,” adds Clare. “The new system allows a greater flexibility so that we can react more quickly to customer demands. The accuracy of the plates is critical of course to the engineered solution. In addition to improved productivity and quality control, we have also introduced a new training programme for new operatives to help them understand the technology and ease of use. We have introduced five laser systems in Redhill, and the resulting continuity in our quality control has been excellent and we plan to roll out similar systems in our other sites.”

FACTORY VISIT

IMAGES COURTESY PASQUILL: 01-02. The new Redhill laser technology creates a defect-free engineered product 03. The Uni-Roll 750 Open Web Beam Roller produces precise high-quality joists 04-06. Roof trusses ready for delivery

The system works by converting design files of roof truss configurations into a full-scale laser image on a manufacturing ‘table’ surface. Jigs are then accurately set using the laser projected truss outline and components quickly identified and placed into position. Nail plates can then be precisely positioned on component joints to ensure maximum strength and optimum quality control. The new design software allows Pasquill to work to very tight tolerances. The laser technology means a reduction in set-up time with the first truss and also reduces the overall cycle time to produce further trusses.

“We work hard at understanding our customer needs and developing our product range,” says Clare. “For example, we have invested in a new piece of machinery for our open web joist production due to increasing demand for engineered timber flooring.” In order to optimise efficiency of its open web joist production, Pasquill has recently installed at Redhill a Uni-Roll 750 Open Web Beam Roller. This provides the fastest method of manufacturing open web joists in a single workstation. Very fast and efficient cycle times are gained with the webs and plates quickly embedded along the joist length. The rolling of plates and webs produces consistent and precise high-quality joists.

“The Redhill site has grown 36% over the last two years and productivity has shot up by 16%,” says Clare. “It’s all about progress and positivity. We have made great strides as a company and Redhill is our first site to go onto three shifts.

The British Standard governing the manufacture of truss rafter – EN14250 – allows for plate positioning to a tolerance of up to 10mm, however Pasquill work to a tighter tolerance of 5mm, which is above and beyond the industry standard.

Powerful mechanical clamping ensures joists are manufactured to exact dimensions with no pre-assembly of frames required. The new equipment gives a clear, open working surface with a clamping mechanism positioned under the table. The machine also allows joists to be pressed in pairs, thereby increasing productivity even further. A ‘one touch’ remote controlled dual direction head enables fast production times with safety photo electric cell sensors protecting operators.

“We continue to work hard across our sustainability pillars of people, plant and profit by balancing our responsibilities to colleagues, customers and suppliers and the local communities we operate in. We have the highest environmental credentials with our timber either FSC or PEFC-certified, we are constantly investing in staff training and with our ISO50001 accreditation, we are working hard at being sustainable at every level of the business. Our growth is due to our continual programme of investing in our sites, the service we give and the quality of the products we sell, none of which would be possible without the continued loyalty of our customers.” For more information visit: www.pasquill.co.uk

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EXPLORE OFFSITE - HOUSING

Offsite Housing Set to Thrive The first of 2016’s Explore Offsite events took place in March at the Birmingham NEC and concentrated on how offsite manufacture can help ease the UK’s housing issues. Both days saw the audience hear a range of views on where offsite is set to flourish.

Explore Offsite in the Housing Sector was declared a huge success by over 400 construction clients, architects, engineers and contractors who attended the event. The professionals gathered to share their views on how offsite construction technology could play a vital role in the delivery of new houses and in combatting the current housing crisis. Huge interest and anticipation surrounded Tom Ground from Legal & General (L&G). Delegates were keen to hear more about L&G’s £55 million investment into a new cross laminated timber (CLT) production facility near Leeds. The new factory has the potential to significantly alter the ways homes are delivered in the UK, especially for the Build to Rent market. The time is now ripe for a major investor to take offsite manufacture and timber use to a new level. “We did look at buying an existing site and scaling it up but we wanted create a new facility to match our aspirations and manufacture to the depth of scale required,” said Tom Ground. “Looking at the German market for example – they are taking six months to build the kind of

residential developments that here in the UK can take two to three years. The UK is considerably slower and considerably more expensive. This has to change.” Calum Murray from CCG-Scotland Ltd said: “Innovation and change are our focus.” And emphasised that the sector needs to modernise its methods, stating: “Offsite can make the difference and is part of the package of solutions when approaching the housing crisis and the skills shortage.” Tony Woods Offsite Construction Specialist, LHC and Stephen Wightman Managing Director, Caledonian Modular discussed the methods behind offsite and how best to approach the skills shortage. Woods considered the 2004 Barker Report, which analysed the number of houses required to manage the increasing population. “If the government wants to achieve its targets it needs to look at other methods because the skills shortages are just going to carry on,” said Woods. The issues discussed varied from the advantages of building with modular construction to the benefits of building without wet trades. Pickard advocated for

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offsite as a more efficient method, arguing that prefabricated building can produce good design and reduces the amount of wet trade and scaffolding involved in the process. Tom Ground CEO, Legal and General said Explore Offsite Housing was: “An enjoyable event with interesting discussions.” Whilst James Pickard Director, Cartwright Pickard commented: “It’s a great turnout with some really interesting questions from the audience.” The conference left delegates interested to find out more, with many saying that they will be sure to attend the other Explore Offsite events later in the year. Two documentary film makers from the BBC also attended the event and said: “Thanks to all on the Explore Offsite team for letting us attend. It was brilliant for us and we also managed to have a very constructive meeting alongside the conference on the Thursday afternoon. Highest praise to all for organising such an excellent event.” For more information visit: www.exploreoffsite.co.uk

Explore Offsite 2016

Innovation in timber engineering

A two-part series of two-day conferences and exhibitions, presented by Radar Communications, providing platforms for construction clients and their professional advisers to explore the latest offsite construction solutions, providing a dynamic interactive learning experience and networking opportunities. Explore Offsite Futures, will take place in Birmingham, 24 November 2016.

THE SUPERCHARGED

For more information contact: amy.pryce@radar-communications.co.uk

TURBO-DRIVE

TIMBER COMPONENT CUTTING

Top Speakers at Explore Offsite - Housing included: • Tom Bloxham MBE (pictured) Chairman, Urban Splash • Rory Bergin Partner: Sustainable Futures, HTA Design LLP • Oliver Novakovic Technical and Innovation Director, Barratt Developments • Alex Goodfellow Managing Director, Stewart Milne Timber Systems • Andy von Bradsky Chair, Housing Forum & PRP Architects • Stephen Wightman Managing Director, Caledonian Modular • Calum Murray Director, CCG (Scotland) • Jerry Harkness Regional Development Director, Circle Housing • Jeremy Kape Director of Property Investment, Affinity Sutton • Jeff Maxted Director of Technical Consultancy, BLP Insurance • Peter Andrew Deputy Chairman, HBF • Tom Ground CEO, Legal & General Homes • James Pickard Director, Cartwright Pickard • Ian Heptonstall Director, Offsite Management School • Stuart Carr Director, Chapman Taylor Architects • Andrew Orgorzalek Partner, PCKO Architects • Richard Jones Partner, Arcadis LLP & Deputy Chair, Housing Forum • Simon Tanner Y:Cube Development Consultant – YMCA • Greg Cooper Pre Construction Manager, B & K Structures • Jay Shaw MBE Head of Business Development, Snoozebox • Steve Reid Chief Technical Officer, Enviga Geothermal

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•

Fast, accurate, flexible and affordable

Hans Hundegger AG Chris Osborne 2 Cuebar Court Lashford Lane Dry Sandford, Oxon OX13 6JP Tel: 0186573644, email: chris@hundeggeruk.com

www.hundegger.com Tom Bloxham presents Urban Splash’s new residential concept.

4c 93 x 267 STA_eng.indd 1

24.03.2016 11:45:29

HOUSING

Flexible Living Always Timber and offsite manufacture are at the heart of one of the UK’s most exciting housing developments. hoUSe is Urban Splash’s new residential concept and is set to revolutionise the UK’s attitudes to housing where buyers can configure their home exactly as they want it.

01 The inaugural hoUSe scheme in New Islington, Manchester, is designed by shedkm, the award-winning architects behind other ground-breaking offsite projects in Manchester, including Chimney Pot Park in Salford and MoHo in Castlefield and has been conceived to bring real choice to homebuyers. With the idea of custom-build becoming more prevalent, it will bring aspects of self-build to the mass market without the need to project manage or have a ‘limitless’ budget to fund the construction.

With hoUSe, buyers can configure their home as they want it. Firstly they choose a size (either 1000 sqft or 1500 sqft) and then pick the arrangement of spaces within the house and make selections from a range of specifications as they go through the purchase process. All homes also have a secure parking space and a garden. hoUSe is designed to be 25% bigger than a typical newbuild and is architect-designed and super-flexible. In order to deliver the important vision of customer choice, Urban Splash needed to rethink how it was going to build the hoUSe

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concept. It wanted to make houses with great space standards: high ceilings, big windows and give customers the ability to alter and change the layouts both initially when they buy, or if they are on a budget, the option to buy a ‘base model’ and over time improve and adapt it. Choices range from having their living room on the top floor with an exposed pitched roof – or if they prefer garden living: homes that come with a more conventional living room on the ground floor. Floor plans for each floor include completely open plan living to lots of rooms, plus flexibility on size and type of kitchen and floor finishes.

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HOUSING

02 The houses are constructed offsite using a closed panel volumetric timber building system. Factory conditions give rise to greater dimensional accuracy with all items pre-cut and machined prior to delivery to the assembly line.

The construction method was important to make these choices manageable from a delivery point of view and predictable from a cost point of view, with offsite manufacture benefiting both criteria. Exploiting the chosen construction method allowed all internal walls to be non-loadbearing. This drove the development of the range plan choices available as sales options, and also allows purchasers to adapt the homes over time, without costly structural alterations. Each option is additive so the main elements of the construction do not change – the pack of components for the choices are brought in and assembled within the manufacturing sequence. The construction method, design and customer journey, from plot sales to specification, have been developed together to suit offsite manufacture. Most elements of construction

are disaggregated from weather and site conditions so that the programme is predictable and can be continuous. Should capacity become an issue, factory manufacture can accommodate shift-working something not possible on most residential development sites. The houses are constructed offsite using a closed panel timber volumetric building system. Factory conditions give rise to greater dimensional accuracy with all items pre-cut and machined prior to delivery to the assembly line. This accuracy leads to great speed in construction, with no alterations and amendments to deal with or inaccurate setting out. The timber panels themselves give excellent thermal performance to the walls (0.15 U-Value) and roofs (0.1 U-Value) as well as being incredibly airtight (between 1 and 2 ACH on testing).

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There is a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system (MVHR) which works to ensure air flow through the property and capture any heat before exiting the home. The level of performance is more easily achieved offsite than using more traditional building materials. The vision is that with consistent factory conditions and quality control, Urban Splash will be able to deliver homes of a consistently higher quality with fewer customer care issues. Areas developed to suit factory manufacture include elements delivered pre-sized to the factory for assemble, glulam and timber I-beams are all delivered to the right size to ensure an efficient assembly line and dry construction which is essential for this environment. QA control is more easily achieved with the smaller, more focussed assembly teams helping to create this unique concept.

HOUSING seats and walk in bay windows which were designed to be factory-fitted, the solar thermal installations were developed through consideration of alternative products and assembly tested to suit factory application and transport. For the hoUSe concept, offsite construction has allowed for greater quality control and project management efficiency. The design and delivery approach adopted by Urban Splash and the project team encapsulates everything that offsite construction and factory-controlled methods of manufacture can provide. Pioneering projects like New Islington are key to providing exciting, flexible and defect-free living spaces across the UK that appeal to a wide range of homebuyers from first-timers to expanding families. For more information visit:

www.urbansplash.co.uk | www.shedkm.co.uk

interiors come fully-fitted, so kitchens, bathrooms, floor finishes and mechanical and electrical installations are all carried out at the factory.

Offsite manufacture also makes a positive contribution to the impact that the construction industry has on a development’s existing neighbourhood. It reduces the number of deliveries to site, the number of operations which need to take place onsite, less noise and time with fewer transport problems. There are higher levels of safety and welfare for the team with less working at height. Each terraced house is delivered in two or three modules depending on whether it is a two or three-storey property. As such, each volumetric module has a floor and a roof, which means excellent acoustic insulation. The units come to site almost complete so the roof finish, windows and cladding are factory-fitted. Each block is zipped up around the edges and between each other after being craned into place.

The design team and factory team have investigated a wide range of designs, materials, products and fittings to maximise the level of offsite manufacture whilst providing the highest quality finish. The houses can be finished in almost anything, which is essential to expand the concept UK-wide, where local context will require a variety of external solutions. BIM and factorybased design technology allows precise scheduling of all components, reducing waste and increasing cost certainty.

IMAGES COURTESY URBAN SPLASH: 01-03. Internal and External Views

International Recognition at MIPIM hoUSe was recently shortlisted at the 2016 MIPIM Awards in Cannes in the Best Futura Project category. The Futura category is dedicated to any type of building and development already in progress or slated to begin construction soon that gives a preview into what the future may hold through distinct architectural, technical and environmental qualities. www.mipimawards.com

The hoUSe envelope would meet CFSH level 6 (the highest level) for thermal performance. This can be achieved with traditional building techniques but it would prove much more difficult. The offsite method that the team has adopted achieves this as standard. Other examples of the benefits of offsite construction include the window

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HOUSING

ZED Life Zero carbon design pioneer Bill Dunster and his ZED Factory recently unveiled the latest element of the ZED-mix. The Zero Bills Home and ZED Pods are offsite manufactured, hybrid timber and steel frame housing aimed at a new generation of homeowner.

01 Launched prior to Ecobuild 2016 on the BRE Innovation Park in Watford, the Zero Bills Home (ZBH) is an extension of its awardwinning BedZED scheme and represents 10 years of innovation and supply chain development that has been simplified to an easily assembled system or ‘kit of parts’. The system also promotes the use of local labour trained using the ZBH technical manual and the ZBH house kit ordering process creates a “fully scalable system from single homes to volume developments.”

Relying on a low cost, building-integrated photovoltaic roof, ZBH aims to make home energy bills obsolete. With a design that minimises energy requirements, the very low energy needs of the household are met by a roof-integrated PV and energy storage system which can also generate enough power to service a small electric vehicle. The home is heated by a small air source heat pump that recycles heat recovered from stale air that’s been processed by a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system (MVHR). With the average annual household spend on home energy exceeding £1300 and car fuel exceeding £1000, significant lifetime savings can be met for the Zero Bills householder.

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02 “SME builders are key to delivering the 250,000 homes per annum we need across the UK,” says Bill Dunster. “The Zero Bills system is an off-the-shelf solution for SMEs that could really drive the market in the right direction. With its integrated energy generation facility it shows how we could actually reduce the investment needed for centralised national infrastructure by becoming net exporters of renewable energy.” The long term vision is to create a new urban landscape based on low carbon technology. “Ironically, just at the point where the 2016 Government zero carbon homes was supposed to happen and were scrapped, we feel it is now technically possible, commercially viable and absolutely the sensible thing to do.” ZBH provides

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HOUSING the shell and core – a weatherproof and lockable envelope – in a custom built and affordable hybrid timber and steel system. The plan is to build with a low profile concrete foundation, laser cut steel beams and metal work, pre-cut timber elements and OSB with cork and woodfibre insulation with all components fitting into one single container. The timber studs, OSB and steel is all UK-sourced. The use of natural building materials also helps eliminate urethane foams and materials with high ‘off-gassing’. This helps reduce the amounts of embodied carbon. Speaking at the BRE launch Dunster said. “The house here at BRE has a really big agenda which can really help society. We want to create a new urban code that can be assembled into an urban masterplan very quickly. The homes can have different layouts, roof pitches or orientations. The idea is to have these house templates fully priced up, with a kit of parts, a defined cost and really any builder should be able deliver this specification and standard. Delivering these homes is just as important as designing them.” With an ambitious projected turnover of £129.7 million within five years, the Zero Bills Homes Company is working with a number of investors and are currently looking at sites in London, Cardiff, Oxford and Bath for the first homes, and is aiming them at young professionals priced out of the housing market. Established as a separate business unit, the Zero Bills Homes Company is a one stop-shop enabling company to deliver Zero Bills Homes and communities. The ZBH is the latest addition to a third generation of buildings on the Innovation Park. Speaking at the ribbon cutting ceremony, BRE’s Chief Executive Peter Bonfield said: “Zero Bills represents new thinking and a fresh approach to the significant challenges and opportunities we face in the housing market.”

The system is affordable at £1350 per square metre and ZBH is aiming to be one of the first homes assessed under BRE’s new Home Quality Mark which provides consumer-friendly, impartial information via a star ratings system on the quality and

sustainability of new homes. It has already been commissioned for use on a development in Newport near Saffron Walden in Essex for the Sir Arthur Ellis Trust (subject to planning permission) with 96 Zero Bills Homes earmarked for construction.

03 ZED Pods “How do you make these homes absolutely affordable?” says Bill Dunster. “One of the answers is to make them small.” The ZED Pod is a small, low cost energy efficient starter home intended for housing young people within city boundaries over existing areas of parking or garages. It is an offsite manufactured, flat pack home that allows for increased efficiency in the usage of space. A ZED Pod avoids having to purchase land to create an affordable home. Although planned as permanent, it can easily be relocated at low cost and with minimal wastage if a site is redeveloped in future. Unveiled at Ecobuild 2016, Single ZED Pods are expected to go on the market for £35,000 with double pods costing £65,000. Dunster estimates the construction cost will be between £35,000 and £45,000 per pod. He said: “We have kit that produces the homes, it doesn’t require any advanced manufacturing. The ZED Pod has been created to meet the needs of first time buyers who need to climb on to the property ladder but are prohibited from doing so by the current high prices.” Designed and built to a high internal specification, and incorporating all the ZED elements in the fabric of the building, ZED Pods will provide a spacious living space divided into living, dining, bedroom plus bathroom and kitchen areas. According to ZED Factory, the ZED Pod is contemporary take on the standard studio flat that can be integrated into any mixed development.

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• Homes for younger people and key workers who use public transport • Warm affordable home with low bills, daylight, ventilation and privacy available for rent at around same price as cheapest bedsit • Enhances quality of public realm • Pop up orchards over parking can reclaim large barren tarmacked spaces • Permanent homes but also relocatable without losing original investment • Built to higher standards than required by Building Regulations • Puts key worker homes right next to jobs and public transport • No funding required by local authorities or landowners to create affordable homes - just permission to install ZED Pods over their existing car parks for minimum duration of 25 years • Sale model possible providing long site lease possible to meet mortgage lenders requirements • Rental finance option available • Excellent way of providing worker accommodation for businesses in areas where homes are unaffordable.

For more information visit: www.zedfactory.com

IMAGES: 01. Zero Bills Home, BRE Innovation Park 02. The building-integrated photovoltaic roof aims to make home energy bills obsolete 03. ZED Pod concept – ZED Factory

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HOUSING

The Future of Delivery Can timber and offsite manufacture combine to provide housing efficiencies? Rob Charlton, Chief Executive, Space Group, believes it can.

01 Offsite construction is nothing new but it has crept up again on the industry in recent years. In the 1990s several companies developed the concept to deliver entire buildings. Organisations such as McDonalds developed a sophisticated model to deliver their growth programme. Unfortunately when the programme stopped so did the commitment to offsite. Companies who had committed to offsite, such as Britspace, found carrying the overhead when not in production too much of a cash challenge and unfortunately went out of business. Over the past few years companies such as Laing O’Rourke have developed multi-million pound plants to produce not only building components but also entire houses. More recently we have seen investment from Legal & General investing in a plant near Leeds. At Space Group we have always been fascinated by this approach and are always looking to invest in innovation. Our initial drive was to deliver a house which was affordable and helped to address the issue of fuel poverty through design and construction innovation. Housing costs over the past 5 - 10 years have increased significantly to a point which has made

affordable housing unaffordable. As energy costs increase it has become more of a challenge for families to make ends meet. We wanted to use the best innovation in the industry to produce a net zero bills home for £80,000. We named our project Spacehus and developed proposals using building information modelling (BIM). This allowed us to co-ordinate all construction information and test the performance of the homes. Working with Trivselhus, a Swedish timber housebuilder, we developed the panels for the building enclosure. Timber buildings in Sweden are very different to those in the UK. One of the main differences is that the windows and doors are installed at the factory. This helps considerably with airtightness to hold in the heat. We used triple-glazed windows and high levels of insulation. The concept also included pods for the kitchen/downstairs bathroom as well as the bathroom on the first floor. This allowed plumbing and cabling to be installed in a controlled environment.

a standard combination boiler and a gas recirculation module. The house also has a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system (MVHR) pulling heat from kitchens and bathrooms and recirculating the heat elsewhere in the house. The house also has photovoltaics on the roof. By using the feed in tariff from the panes the total energy cost for the house is offset it means the house has net zero energy bills. The client for the project were Arch which is the development business of Northumberland County Council. They adopted a very innovative approach to rental. The rental was an all-inclusive rent which included the utility bills capped at a pre-determined level. A year after the tenants have moved in the feedback has been very positive. The tenants appreciate the benefits the energy features provide them without feeling they are in a house any different to others in the street. Architects are incorporating modern design into pre-engineered houses today and the nature of pre-engineering and construction processes means that they proffer wide opportunities for energy saving initiatives, which not only help the national agenda, but make living in the houses affordable for the tenants or homeowners. From the product perspective there is an increasing move towards offsite manufacture. The offsite approach has allowed for higher quality and performance at an affordable cost with risk and timescales significantly reduced. In the years ahead, I only see the adoption of offsite approaches growing and becoming the norm across the industry. It may not be that whole buildings are all delivered this way but undoubtedly more and more elements of a building will be delivered this way. www.spacegroup.co.uk

Most of the energy features were passive as we wanted to hold the energy in rather than relying on technology. The house has

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IMAGE: 01. Trivselhus is a Swedish timber housebuilder

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QUALITY ASSURANCE

Providing confidence in the use of new timber technologies What can the structural timber industry do to address issues of quality assurance and provide confidence in the use of new technologies? Darren Richards, Managing Director, Cogent Consulting, sees valuable answers in better supply chain integration and understanding of third-party assessments.

01 For some the vision of factory-manufactured buildings, where completed elements glide along a robot-controlled production assembly line and are transported effortlessly to site – devoid of all the angst and quality issues associated with traditional building – is seen as the ideal modern timber construction method. Others see this rose-tinted view of the ‘offsite’ initiative of moving the construction process from the ‘exposed to all elements’ construction site, to the safe and predictable modern factory environment as anything but the case. We can all be seduced by the proposition advanced manufactured building systems offer with their many claims. Most of us, faced with the normal vagaries of the construction site find this particularly appealing, with a vision of perfect control over the weather, deliveries, materials, labour, skills availability and work instructions. But

how feasible is it for the factory to deliver these specific repeated procedures where practice can really make perfect? Robots and Optimised Manufacture After construction site issues surrounding the cold and wet of winter, or the overheating of summer, factories can provide the sort of environment that the average construction site can only dream of. Add to this the use of sophisticated jigs and fixtures that are routine in the modern factory process and operatives can achieve repeat procedures that are accurate and fault free. In the more advanced factories this is translated into semi-automated assembly production processes where the operator is assisted by mechanisation that further enhances the quality of output. This machinery can be computer-controlled to record set-up data, detail work instructions

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specific to the task and traceability information that can be used to trace faulty components or materials in the event of a latent defect issue or premature failure. There is no reason why the visions that are regularly portrayed in the automotive sector should not become commonplace in the structural timber sector. Robot manufacture of complete building elements – including structural volumetric timber modules – is a plausible reality where the human interface is limited to material input and product take-off. The quality in this production environment should be exemplary and make zero defects a real possibility. All factory operations in a modern production environment are now controlled by an encompassing quality management system such as ISO9001. This ensures that the complete manufacturing process is in harmony with the customer expectations for consistent, high levels of quality with continuous improvement at the heart of their culture. This should extend down the manufacturers supply chain with all second and key third tier suppliers demonstrating similar control over their manufacturing processes. This highly integrated and quality conscious supply group is enhanced by e-commerce capabilities with electronic demand scheduling, capacity requirements forecasting and instant fault reporting. Unique Every Time For most of us involved in traditional construction it is accepted, and in some cases actually preferred, that the building will be unique, adopting designs or features that effectively make it a ‘prototype’ building. This readiness in the construction industry to accept unproven designs and building methods is in stark contrast to normal manufacturing industry where product development coupled with rigorous testing and evaluation of one or more ‘prototypes’ takes place before the final product is offered into the market place.

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QUALITY ASSURANCE

02 So why is it that for some working with timber systems, the experience has proved to be far short of this ideal picture of an advanced production process? There are sadly many examples of less than perfect construction projects that didn’t achieve the quality and performance benefits that should be automatic with offsite construction. As we might expect it is not a single issue that is the difference between the successful and the not so successful use of structural timber. Achieving the quality benefits from timber technology requires a number of key features to be in place. It is essential that the design and construction teams are experienced in the adoption of structural timber and appreciate the need to integrate the specialist manufacturers with the design team at the earliest possible stage. This will ensure that the design teams understand the scope and capability of the structural timber systems they wish to exploit. Knowing what these new products cannot do is as important as knowing the details of the manufacturers’ claims of performance and durability.

Third Party Approvals It is also critical for the design team to be aware of the scope and integrity of the product testing and evaluation that has been undertaken, ensuring that the product is being used within the scope of this assessment is vital to avoid premature durability failures or under performance. Perhaps the biggest issue here is to use offsite products and systems that have sound third-party certification such as the British Board of Agrèment (BBA) Certificate, BM TRADA (Exova) or the Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS) – other forms of certification are available.

Where Next? So what does the future hold for the structural timber industry in terms of quality assurance? For certain we will see the manufacturing supply base continuing to grow to meet the quite incredible demand for these factory-based building methods. This growth in supply will bring with it some manufacturing companies that have problems we have experienced in the past, but in the majority of cases, we should see those professional organisations already serving the industry growing both their capacity and their capability to offer a quality and proven product.

These third-party assessments are typically rigorous and seek to quantify and validate the manufacturers’ claims of durability and performance. Structural timber systems typically involve innovative materials or novel jointing approaches that need to be thoroughly proven. In the past some offsite manufacturers have not invested in the extensive product evaluation and testing that is essential to verify the product in use and this is where the benefits of third-party approvals can really pay dividends.

These companies will continue to invest in sophisticated manufacturing plant and advanced quality management systems that are essential to deliver 21st Century standards of product performance. The STA will continue to champion the challenge of ‘raising the bar’ through initiatives such as STA Assure – addressing manufacturer third-party accreditation requirements, and also installer accreditation requirements with initiatives such as the recently launched SIP Check scheme, whilst also encouraging the use of third-party approvals via BM TRADA (Exova) or BOPAS – ensuring rigorous appraisal of new innovations and seeking to quantify and validate the manufacturers’ claims of durability and performance.

The Challenge of Change Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles we have to overcome in the structural timber sector is the ‘cottage industry’ feel that the majority of manufacturers appear to exhibit. Many manufacturers are SME’s and have limited funds for product testing, prototyping and third -party accreditation. The Structural Timber Association (STA) has addressed the client confidence issue by creating clear distinction between an STA member and a non-member. All Structural Timber Building System Suppliers (STBSS) members of the STA undergo a thorough and rigorous audit of their business and manufacturing systems, with strict entry criteria needing to be met. With membership of the STA nearly doubling within the past two years it is encouraging to see the Association ‘setting the bar higher’ and safe-guarding existing member and client interests.

For assistance in implementing management systems or obtaining third-party approvals visit: www.cogent-consulting.co.uk

IMAGES: 01-02. Courtesy Kingspan Timber Systems

STMAG | www.structuraltimbermagazine.co.uk | 43

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EDUCATION

Lessons in Solid Wood The pressures on building better quality schools and learning environments is huge. Gavin White, Director, Ramboll UK, illustrates how cross laminated timber (CLT) and glulam is making a real impact in improving conditions and surroundings for students and staff.

01 Almost every local authority is working hard to expand school provision across the board and as primary school places were awarded in April, many parents were left disappointed due to a national shortage of places.

However with this urgent need for more school places comes the challenge of fast and quality construction – this is where solid wood comes in. At Ramboll we are increasingly seeing clients considering timber and predominately CLT as a viable option for educational buildings, their interest fuelled by a great many benefits which makes it especially suited to such projects.

STMAG | www.structuraltimbermagazine.co.uk | 45

EDUCATION

02 One such building is the recently completed William Perkin High School in Greenford, West London, officially the UK’s largest timber building – a four-storey complex containing some 3,860 cubic metres of timber. The new £20million school will specialise in science and languages and offer 1,200 pupils aged 11-18 years facilities such as a 750-seat performance auditorium, sports hall, and sunlit central atrium.

The majority of the CLT structure was assembled in only 19 weeks. William Perkin High School embraced the modern approach to the building proposed by the construction team, and even commissioned a CLT reception desk to coincide with the exposed structure. (For more on William Perkin High School see P50)

The building uses a combination of CLT and glulam to form the structure and architectural features. Hidden steel elements are then used where required to achieve the structural requirements. Designed by Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios, the final result is a showcase for timber engineering due to its sheer size, exposed timber structure and bold architecture.

Mayfield School in Redbridge, north east London, had been identified as requiring significant expansion to deal with a high demand for places. It had been determined by the local authority that the size of the school needed to increase with new teaching and learning space for 800 students and 80 staff, alongside new sports facilities and dance studios to be shared with the local community. The project had a tight 17-month programme and a relatively constrained budget of £18.2million.

Originally the design had a concrete frame structure – however CLT offered a number of programme benefits, such as the ability to commence fit-out on lower floors whilst the upper floor CLT frame is still being erected. In addition, CLT frame erection is less susceptible to winter weather working, which proved fruitful during the snow storms of spring 2013, where CLT erection continued throughout the snow. With a more ‘traditional’ in-situ frame, sites would have struggled with the low temperatures.

At the outset of the project, it was identified that a modern method of construction was key to its success whilst maintaining a high quality finish and a clean and safe environment, in the middle of what was to remain an active school site. For these reasons, the project selected CLT and glulam column and beam construction as the primary materials to form the structural frame. The use of offsite manufacturing allowed the structural frame to be taken off of the critical path, reducing time onsite.

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The CLT superstructure was completed in just 12 weeks and fit-out started on the lower floors whilst the upper floor frame was being erected. Where possible the timber was left exposed and expressed as part of the design concept, bringing a lightness and warmth to the interiors whilst also offering the advantage of reducing the time required in the project programme for wet trades. By drawing on extensive experience in working on timber structures, Ramboll led early engagement with specialist subcontractors. This allowed for the development of a set of ‘rules’ which were applied to the design in order to maximise the efficiency of the CLT panels by optimising spans and widths. Using an integrated design and construction process centred around building information modelling (BIM), both Mayfield School and William Perkin High School demonstrate that high quality bespoke school solutions can be procured and delivered within reduced budgets and the constrained time frames demanded by the urgent need for new school places. www.ramboll.co.uk

IMAGES: 01-02. Mayfield School – Courtesy Hufton + Crow

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OFFSITE HUB

The New Offsite Construction Information Centre Launched earlier this year, the Offsite Hub is a new and informative web portal, designed to connect the world of offsite construction on a single online platform.

A fresh concept for the offsite sector, the Hub is set to become the ‘go-to’ place for the latest offsite industry news, innovative examples of best practice via project case studies, an archive of industry reports and statistics, access to networking events and a comprehensive directory of offsite system suppliers. The current housing crisis, coupled with more commercial businesses looking to expand rapidly, means that there is now a growing demand for contractors to streamline their processes in order to build faster, more efficiently and more sustainably. An increasing number of architects, building designers, specifiers and structural engineers are turning to offsite systems and techniques to achieve these goals. The Offsite Hub has been created as simple, user-friendly way to connect everyone interested in working with the specialist offsite supply chain. The developers of the Hub said: “There is nothing in the offsite industry that caters for all aspects of the offsite construction sector in a single online platform. Our vision for the Hub is to bring the offsite sector and everyone with an interest in it together in one spot. We want it to inform and inspire, and importantly we want to encourage users to share information and network with construction professionals around the latest projects, products and services that offsite construction has to offer.”

The Hub will also offer the latest information and updates on Explore Offsite and the Offsite Awards. Explore Offsite is the successful series of conferences and exhibitions for construction clients and their professional advisers. These comprehensive events explore the latest offsite construction solutions, providing a dynamic and interactive learning experience for all visitors. Explore Offsite is aimed at attracting construction clients, construction professionals, architects, surveyors, engineers, facilities managers, building product manufacturers and suppliers. The Offsite Awards celebrate the best in precision building design and delivery using offsite technologies. The Awards reward outstanding examples of prefabrication and factory-based methods, products, systems and disciplines that increasingly strive to develop a sustainable, streamlined and cost-effective way to deliver a better built environment. The Offite Hub is free to use and contains an archive of offsite-related research reports and strategy documents. Register to receive e-newsletters and offsite bulletins. You can view the Offsite Hub now by visiting: www.offsitehub.co.uk

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CONNECTING THE UK OFFSITE INDUSTRY 1

3 2

1. Information Centre 2. Monthly Newsletters & Eshots

3. Suppliers Directory 4. Awards & Events

5. Quarterly Magazine 6. Offsite Jobs

WWW.OFFSITEHUB.CO.UK Offsite Magazine | Explore Offsite | Offsite Awards

EDUCATION

Growing the Use of Timber in Education At the time of construction, William Perkin C of E School, Greenford was the largest CLT project in the UK in terms of cubic metres of timber. However at the time of its original design this wasn’t the case – it was intended to be an in-situ reinforced concrete frame. Nic Clark, Managing Director KLH UK, explains more.

01 Having arrived at RIBA Stage D it became apparent that the programme was under pressure to get the school built for its intended opening in September 2014 so at this point a re-think was required.

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The contractor, having already used CLT on other school projects, approached KLH UK for a budget and build time assessment enquiring if it could be built in under 23 weeks. The assessment was made and in fact a programme of 19 weeks could be achieved. This was to be achieved by using a two crane/two crew approach. But due to the nature of the contractor’s critical path more areas were required earlier in the build sequence and a third crane/crew was introduced.

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EDUCATION In addition to the obvious benefits from a speed and weight perspective, the local residents enjoyed circa 350 deliveries less than if it had been concrete. From an environmental point of view, this project has sequestered circa 926 tonnes of carbon.

02 Even at this late stage in the process we were able to redesign the building to CLT, the engineer was able to take the opportunity to redesign the foundations and benefit from a reduction in the number of piles due to the lighter nature of the structure, accommodate the M&E penetrations and still meet the tight timescales required by the project team. The general rule that the use of CLT should be considered from the outset to achieve all the savings was broken here… albeit with a lot of effort and commitment from the team. The next hurdle was from the client. Their perceptions gave rise to some concerns about the use of timber. After some lengthy discussions, it was agreed that we should arrange a visit to one of the academies in Norwich we’d built back in 2008 and this proved to be the decision maker with the client instructing the team to swing into action with the redesign of the school. In the final design, a school that was originally designed in concrete, was opened on time with over 4000 square metres of exposed timber.

03 In addition to the obvious benefits from a speed and weight perspective, the local residents enjoyed circa 350 deliveries less than if it had been concrete. From an environmental point of view, this project has sequestered circa 926 tonnes of carbon from the 3860 cubic metres of timber used for the superstructure. Following a number of visits to the school since opening, the staff have reported what a calm environment the timber has created. This supports a report commissioned in Austria which studied amongst other metrics the heart rates of two sets of school children, one set in a timber environment and the other set in a ‘traditional’ environment. The outcomes from the report found a much reduced heart rate and other benefits including higher levels of concentration in the students using the timber environment. In its conclusion it stated: “For the first time medical proof that wood as a building material has a positive effect on people’s health.”

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There are a number of reference projects now across the country for CLT in both Primary and Secondary schools. More and more architects, engineers and contractors are seeing the benefit in terms of speed of construction of the superstructure and advantages for the follow-on trades from a dry environment and softwood substrate to fix to. The weight savings, the accuracy of the pre-cut service penetrations, doors and window openings providing a reduction in fire stopping material and the improved air leakage results, provide the contractor real and tangible gains. The skills shortages and subsequent uncertainty on pricing means contractors are looking more and more at offsite manufacture. It would seem that there are also plenty of other non-tangible ‘nice to have’ add-ons which appear out of the woodwork! For more information visit: www.klhuk.com

IMAGES COURTESY KLH UK: 01-03. CLT installation at William Perkin School

Need an expert on your project team? Add the wood expertise of Snows Timber, acquired over 100 years of serving the construction sector. From ThermoWood® or wood composite decking to Cedar, Larch and modified claddings, Snows offers sound advice, produces quality products and delivers reliable supply. We’re regularly trusted by major contractors, so ask us for help.

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CASE STUDY // SIPS

ADVANCED SIPS FOR 5 BOROUGHS PARTNERSHIP A new healthcare facility has turned to structural insulated panels (SIPS) to deliver a modern healthcare facility in Greater Manchester.

01 The 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust – an organisation that provides specialist mental health and learning disability services to the residents of Wigan – has launched plans for a new development of a £40m mental health facility, designed to accommodate up to 48 patients. The key driver for the project was to provide local people access to mental health services in one convenient location at the heart of the Leigh East Community. The build is situated on what was formally Leigh East Amateur Rugby League ground. The 3.9 hectare site has been split into two separate buildings, providing a hub for the local community and high quality inpatient services for adults suffering from mental ill health, as well as dementia and memory conditions. Working with main contractor, Kier Construction, Kingspan Timber Solutions was selected to provide its Kingspan TEK® SIP solution for the project. The Kingspan TEK® Building System comprises 142 or 172mm thick SIPS connected with a unique jointing system for walls and roofs. The second phase of the project comprised a combination of steel frame and Kingspan TEK® cladding panels. This cladding panel solution is also SIPS-based and capable of cladding any structure, not just timber but steel and concrete. The panels were manufactured to suit the individual project

needs. Each panel has a standard dimension of width of 200mm (min), 1220mm (max) and a length of 7500mm (max) – pre-assembled in the factory prior to delivery onsite. The panels – consisting of a high performance rigid urethane insulation core, sandwiched between two layers of 15mm oriented strand board (OSB) – were assembled in the Kingspan Timber Solution’s factory to form large elements for efficient crane erection and deliver key benefits including: • Exceptional thermal performance with wall and roof U-Values of 0.21 – 0.10 W/m²K with typical Y-Values ranging from 0.05 – 0.01 • Highly airtight construction can achieve air permeability of less than 1m³/hr.m² at 50 Pa. • Panels are PEFC and FSC Chain of Custody certified • The proprietary jointing system used with the Kingspan TEK® Building System creates an incredibly airtight structure which can achieve 1.0 m³/hr.m² @ 50 Pa. • Kingspan TEK® Building System is a Passivhaus Institute Certified Building System • British Board of Agrément (BBA) Approval Inspection Testing Certificate • NSAI Agrément Certification

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Both TEK® systems were specified by the architect from the outset due to their many benefits. One of the reasons that the cladding panels were selected was their lightweight structure that enables a fast track building process – helping to reduce construction time. A three man team can typically install 150m² of panels per day, allowing follow-on trades to commence work sooner, once panels are erected and wrapped with a breathable membrane. Both systems also offer excellent thermal and airtightness performances which were ideal for this build. “It was rewarding to be involved with such a landmark building,” says Ian Loughnane, Business Unit Director of Kingspan Timber Solutions. “It is now a world leader in providing the best quality mental healthcare, learning disability support and community services, with a reputation for innovation and excellence. “Through an extensive product portfolio, the company’s focus is firmly on value engineering and performance. With a collaborative culture, we use a combination of the highest performing, most sustainable materials and components, design, manufacturer, assemble and project manage the construction of cutting-edge timber solutions including; timber frame, SIP, glulam and cross laminated timber (CLT).” For more information visit: www.kingspantimbersolutions.co.uk

IMAGE: 01. Courtesy of Kier

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EGGER LEADS THE WAY IN STRUCTURAL FLOORING SOLUTIONS The EGGER Advanced Structural Flooring System is a key innovation for EGGER UK, one of Europe’s leading wood-based panel manufacturers.

The system is specifically designed to help housebuilders save time, money and manpower on their projects. It’s based on a simple six-step installation process and suitable for both masonry and timber frame builds.

with fewer stoppages and floors can be laid in light rain conditions.

The system combines three key components: EGGER tongue and groove structural flooring boards, EGGER Joint and Joist D4 Adhesive and a proven easy to use fitting method. It is based on the company’s portfolio of structural P5 grade flooring boards with enhanced moisture resistant properties, which include EGGER P5, EGGER Peel Clean Xtra and EGGER Protect. The boards are manufactured using sustainable raw materials on one of the most sophisticated production lines in Europe. They each have a tongue and groove profile created using diamond-tipped tooling for stronger and tighter fitting joints. When used together they have the potential to offer considerable benefits to housebuilders, including faster installations

To give housebuilders added peace of mind, the entire EGGER Advanced Structural Flooring System is backed by the company’s lifetime guarantee. A key feature is EGGER Protect, an innovative type of floorboard which can be left exposed to the elements for up to 42 days during the build process which helps to minimise weather related delays and enable faster installations. EGGER Protect is manufactured from an EGGER P5 flooring grade particleboard with a unique, weather-resistant surface layer applied to the top and underside of the board. Its hardwearing anti-slip surface provides additional foot holding in wet and dry conditions, which not only contributes to site safety, it also creates an essential safe working platform for use in construction. When glued with EGGER Joint & Joist D4 Adhesive, it provides a fully sealed working deck that requires no joint sealing tape and protects against moisture, impact and the

“EGGER is proud to be an industry-leading provider of commercial and domestic structural flooring applications,” says Dan Soulsby, EGGER Category Manager for Building Products. “We strive to give our customers innovative solutions, exceptional product quality, value-for-money and complete peace-of-mind on every floor they lay. No other engineered flooring boards provide the same outstanding protection and structural properties or offer installers so many laying and fixing benefits. “Each product within the EGGER Advanced Structural Flooring System has been manufactured to the highest standard and the lifetime guarantee reinforces our commitment to quality and belief in the products and system. Regardless of the scale of the project, whether it’s a large-scale housing development, self-build, renovation, property conversion or home extension, it is our aim to be the indisputable first choice for anyone who wants peace of mind in their work when installing a structural chipboard floor.” EGGER UK specialises in the design and manufacture of structural flooring boards for use in both residential and commercial build projects throughout the UK and Ireland. To find out more, contact the EGGER building products hotline: Tel: 0845 602 4444 Email: building.uk@egger.com Visit: www.egger.co.uk/building

IMAGES: 01. EGGER Protect 02. EGGER Joint & Joist D4 Adhesive

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TECHNOLOGY TALK // TIMBER CHAP

Am I Taking the Façade? The missing link is a term often used to summarise the development gap between primates and humans. There are comparisons with the cladding of buildings in that there is a missing link between the building designer and the façade engineer. Timber Chap reveals more.

The ancient practice of ignorance is alive and well in some quarters of the building industry especially when it comes to cladding a structural timber framed building. Of course facades help define the outward beauty – or the beast – of our buildings. Good architecture provides the opportunity for facades to make a statement of any building.

That statement could be: ‘this is a great building where the owners care,’

or it could be: ‘this is a cheap building and what you see is what you get.’

Which one do you want?

Received wisdom is not to judge a book by its cover. But it can be the undoing of a building if the cladding is below standard. Staining, cracking, bowing, and the worst case scenario being structural failure, if the connectivity between the cladding and structural frame is not carefully considered. If we need reminding of the importance that the structural design of a façade and its connection to the main building frame can be, we can look up the problems caused recently in Edinburgh. As seen across the national media, a school where the brick gable wall failed during high winds was reported to have insufficient fixity to the main frame. Not a structural timber issue but a facade issue but it is a problem that affects all forms of construction if ignored. Clearly the quality of a façade can mean the difference between a lifetime of maintenance and costs or a building of performance and respect. As obvious as it is that façades are important I have evidence and experience that building design teams can pay little attention to how a façade is connected to a structure? Some say cladding some say façade but whatever term you prefer, a design team can sometimes illuminate the English dictionary definition of: ‘a deceptive outward appearance – deceptive in that they hide faults.’

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IMAGES: 01. Sad cladding - lack of movement. This is a concrete frame showing that the defects are cladding not timber structure-related 02. Weather the storm - cladding with rain staining 03. New cladding - fresh when new but for how long?

TECHNOLOGY TALK // TIMBER CHAP

01 IMAGES COURTESY OF B & K STRUCTURES: 01-02. BSkyB Believe in Better Buildings

Who is responsible for the connectivity of facades to structures? As in all projects the roles and responsibilities should be agreed at the start of any project. In simple terms it is not acceptable to assume the ‘façade company’ will design or detail the connectivity of a façade to a structural timber frame. There is a great deal of interaction needed to ensure that at least the holy trinity of the fixing, tolerance and movement allowances, are considered in the design solution. Client team appointments must include clarification for the responsibility and roles for façade to structural frame connectivity or continue to answer to higher insurance and solicitor costs.

Façade design and detailing problems are not limited to structural timber buildings but to provide a focus on timber structures please read Tables 01 and 02 carefully.

02 The Areas to Agree 01. Stud Wall Structures RESPONSIBILITY AREAS TO AGREE • Any connection of a façade cladding to be secured direct to the stud location and not rely on the sheathing board unless it has been specifically designed for structural cladding connections (typically 18mm or more depth) • Connection structural design and cavity fire barrier design suitable for the cavity width • Water protection and breathability details suitable for the cladding type.

02. Structural Insulated Panel structures (SIP) RESPONSIBILITY AREAS TO AGREE • Any connection of a façade cladding to be secured direct to the sheathing board with approved fixing types as directed by the SIP product supplier. • Cavity barrier details to be appropriate for the cladding type and cavity width. • Water protection details suitable for the cladding type.

03. Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panel RESPONSIBILITY AREAS TO AGREE • Any connection of a façade cladding to be secured direct to the CLT panel with approved fixing types as directed by the CLT product supplier. • Connection to consider the insulation type, cavity width so that the connection can safely carry the loads back to the CLT without causing distress to the insulation. • Cavity barrier details to be appropriate for the insulation and cavity. • Water protection details suitable for the cladding type.

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TECHNOLOGY TALK // TIMBER CHAP

Table 01 Façade Famous Faults

Table 02 Façade Solutions

Fault topic

Fault

Consideration

Fault topic

SOLUTION

Fixity

Incorrect structural ties to connect the façade to the frame

Tension, compression and shear resistance of the ties is needed for which the correct fixity and movement allowance is required. Tolerance of the façade to frame to be checked and not assumed to be unrealistic or correct as built.

Large signs hung of the façade

Weight of products needs to be tied back to the structure.

Solar panels to be added Living walls added (plants /trees added)

Retro-fixing may be troublesome if no strong points are provided in the frame.

Incorrect fasteners to secure façade panels

Incompatible metal fasteners matched to the cladding type or exposure.

No structural design for façade restraint

Typically lack of engineering consideration for wind loading.

Lack of ventilation

Breathability of cavities to structural timber buildings is critical design requirement.

Balcony details changed to be secured off the facade

Use of insulated panels with a ventilation behind the panel

Why would you do this on an insulated structural timber frame?

Solar shading added

Cladding not providing sufficient rain screen and significant water present in the cavity

Additional weather protection barriers may be needed to ensure the timber elements remain dry.

Fire resistance to spread of fire and smoke.

Missing cavity barriers or inappropriate.

Lack of allowance for differential movement

Vertical downward movement of structural timber frames is a known characteristic in the first 24 months of occupation for which allowance for movement is needed to be reflected in the façade.

Façade company assume brackets used with standard fixings will be compatible with the structural frame to which it is fixed

The fix back to the structural timber frame can often mean screws or bolts are two large for the timbers to which they are fixed causing timbers to split or not be connected.

Façade type changed to a heavier material

The added weight of the cladding should be checked for load-bearing capacity and fixing

Detailing around openings not followed through

Openings and returns require precise detailing and execution to avoid water traps and failure at these junctions.

Cavity width increased

Boundary fire condition not considered

Fire resistance from outside into the building not considered for areas of buildings that fall under these constraints.

The cavity width can cause increased forces in the structural frame for the same weight of cladding if it is supported by the frame.

Acoustics

Lack of mass or separation for specific noise requirements

Flanking sound checks needed for cladding types. Noise attenuation from outside the building to inside may be a design requirement which requires checking. Some cladding types offer no acoustic performance.

Façade engineering not assigned until the frame is erected

Thermal

Cadding type not contributing to the thermal heat resistance of the wall structure

Checks needed on the cladding type and thermal requirement of the wall layer build up.

Often too late to incorporate strong points in the structure if the façade type and fixing is not co-ordinated with the structural frame design.

Cavity space

Finish

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CASE STUDY // PAREX

SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COLLEGE – AURORA HOUSE An external wall insulation (EWI) system brought together by Parex and its industry partners Siniat, SPI and Trueline has provided a new thermally efficient ‘wrapper’ for an affordable low-energy, low-carbon concept house on a Scottish college campus.

DPR Sand Fine acrylic finish in natural white. On the remaining primary elevations, the PAREXTHERM Marbri Dash system finish was applied comprising of a top coat dash featuring a new ice blue coloured chip provided by Long Rake Spar, applied onto a receiving coat of Maite.

01 The award-winning Aurora low carbon house project at South Lanarkshire College has been given a makeover using the Parex EWI system after part of the original external finish was affected by water ingress. Parex stepped in to strip off the original and provide a completely new render system based on its proven PAREXTHERM EWI system. The PAREXTHERM Marbri Dash and PAREXTHERM Acrylic systems features on two elevations each of Aurora House, which doubles as both a low energy/low carbon technology demonstrator and lecture facilities. It is based on a timber framed structure, designed and built by Oregon Timber Frame.

The original render system was removed back to the plywood cladding which was already showing signs of deterioration. Prior to applying the insulated render system, the Siniat Weather Defence board was installed which then received new 44mm Plustherm graphite expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation which was bonded to the board using the Parex Maite. The insulation received a base coat of Parex Maite with Parex 355 AVU reinforcing mesh embedded to provide added strength and crack resistance. Two different Parex render finishes were then applied to the base coat. Two walls received the PAREXTHERM Acrylic top coat system of 310 Primer and

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The renovation work and application of the new system was carried out by Parex technical staff, members of the college lecture team and students as part of an ongoing initiative between the college and Parex, soon to be extended with the introduction of the new Parex NVQ e-Learning platform. Aurora House was first constructed around five years ago to incorporate cutting edge energy saving and low carbon technology including solar power, ground source heat pumps, rainwater harvesting, energy efficient glass, claddings and coatings. Although designed to be passive with a ‘net zero carbon’ profile, it incorporates advanced heating systems for demonstration purposes. The overriding aim of the project is to demonstrate that the latest energy-efficient and low carbon technologies can be applied to domestic properties affordably. The original project was completed in partnership with Dawn Homes and 50 private sector companies. www.parex.co.uk

IMAGE: 01. Aurora House with thermally efficient render

CASE STUDY // A. PROCTOR GROUP

ROOFSHIELD AT QUARTERMILE Roofshield air and vapour permeable underlay was used to great effect at a mixed-use development in Edinburgh.

Located on the former site of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in the heart of the city, Quartermile is a mixed-use development comprising Grade A office buildings, retail and leisure space and luxury apartments. Alongside the newbuild apartment blocks are the Lofts, two Grade B listed former hospital buildings which are being extensively refurbished and converted into further apartments by Quartermile Developments. Neighbouring the world-renowned University of Edinburgh, Quartermile blends historical conversion properties with striking new build apartments. Masterplanned by Foster + Partners, the development currently offers a choice of one, two and four-bedroom apartments. Originally built in the 19th century by noted architect Sidney Mitchell and being redesigned by Edinburgh-based Comprehensive Design Architects, the impressive roof structures of these unique buildings required careful

consideration of moisture management and condensation control. The scale and complexity of the turreted roofs, along with its historic appearance within a UN World Heritage Site made adding traditional ventilation to the roof highly undesirable, but also required a high performance and robust solution.

taping to comply with BS5534:2014. For further information on how the benefits of Roofshield can apply to your projects visit: www.proctorgroup.com/roofshield

The architects did not have to travel far to find this solution however, as the Roofshield air and vapour permeable underlay specified is supplied by the A. Proctor Group, based just 60 miles away in Blairgowrie, Perthshire. By combining the highest available vapour permeability with an air open structure that permits greater airflow than conventional ventilation, Roofshield ensures condensation problems are reduced or eliminated in even the most complex roof geometry. Roofshield is fully BBA-certified, and accepted for use without additional ridge ventilation by the NHBC. It also requires no

For further information on Quartermile Tel: 0845 000 2525 Visit: The Lauriston Place Marketing Centre, EH3 9AU, which is open seven days a week from 10.30am to 5.30pm www.qmile.com

Project Quartermile, Edinburgh Specifier Quartermile Developments / Comprehensive Design Architects, Edinburgh Installer Braisby Roofing Product Roofshield

IMAGES: 01-02. A. Proctor Group

STMAG | www.structuraltimbermagazine.co.uk | 65

FACADES

Brimstone Fires Back The UK timber industry is finally fighting back against imported timber by modifying its thinking and its products. Tom Barnes of Vastern Timber, describes how timber cladding is enjoying a surge in interest and understanding.

Put simply, if we want the design world to use wood, we have to give designers products they can comfortably design with. This thinking has been a key driver in the development of Brimstone thermally modified wood – the first commercially available thermally modified British timber. At Vastern Timber we recognised there was a growing need for wood products to be more technical, measurable and ultimately reliable.

While wood has always represented the epitome of sustainability within construction, it has historically fallen behind competing building materials with regards to its specifiability. However, this is changing as the timber industry gets to grips with the need to present the marketplace with products that offer the necessary technical detail to make them easily specifiable, and which are better understood and appreciated by architects. Timber cladding is one area where this thought evolution can be seen in process.

Think About Design A better understanding of architects is the key. Architects and other specifiers require increasing levels of durability and reliability in the products they specify, which has not always been achievable with natural timber. They certainly want to use timber, but they need to know exactly how it is going to behave.

During the thermal modification process the timber is super-heated to temperatures between 160° and 210°. The combination of high heat and steam reconfigures the wood to deliver a material of exceptional stability, durability and aesthetic uniformity that is highly resistant to water and fungus. The process involves no chemicals and does not rely on impregnating the timber.

Competing cladding systems such as concrete, metal and plastic have historically been easier to specify because the products are extruded and therefore more consistent and reliable. Additionally the industries that produce them have been better at detailing their products. Presented with a wealth of performance data and other information, the architect’s job is made that much easier. So to continue the fight for market share, the timber cladding industry needs to find ways to detail its products to the same degree as its competitors and in doing so, make it easier for the architect to specify them.

Thermal modification is a proven technology, and thermally modified timber products are 60 – 80% more stable than non-modified timbers, delivering significantly less expansion and contraction when faced with changes in ambient temperature and humidity, and making thermally modified timber a superior solution for exterior uses such as cladding.

Timber cladding has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years. At Vastern Timber we have noticed an average 15% year-on-year growth in cladding sales since 2012. The reasons for the growth are fashion-matched with a continued fixation on sustainability from architects and their customers. But while these sales figures are healthy and welcome, as an industry we need to focus on how we can both capitalise on this, and drive further growth by developing new and improved products. It is not good enough to simply rely on what we’ve always offered and hope it can sustain growth.

This is especially important for the commercial construction marketplace where projects are bigger and materials are often specified across a number of sites.

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Thermally modified hardwood products typically reach the equivalent of Class 2 (EM350) and in some cases Class 1, giving a minimum service life of between 30 – 50 years. BRE is in the process of testing Brimstone products and will provide specific data on strength, hardness and durability later this year.

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FACADES

woodlands and forests, than there is from imported products that come with a greater transport emissions footprint and where it is unknown if local social and economic sustainability has been accounted for. The British timber industry and the communities that rely on our woodlands and forests have suffered from imported products for many years. It has been too easy for architects and other specifiers to choose imported wood and to simply rely on certification as a justification. But there is far more transparency when choosing wood products that have been sourced locally and where you can actually inspect the woodlands and processes for yourself – something you can’t do easily with timber sourced halfway around the world.

03 Material Passports This is the kind of performance and reliability data that is needed in the timber industry. When you create engineered or modified wood products that are more technical in nature, you create something that has a greater level of reliability and accountability. Engineered and modified products are very much the future of the industry if the industry is to build its market share.

So if we accept that wood products need to become more technical to ensure they are more specifiable, we can see how easily timber products can become the more attractive option for the architect. The ace up the sleeve will always be sustainability. In this respect, timber is hard, if not impossible to match. But even here the industry needs to think what it can do to make itself even more attractive to specifiers.

The issue of accountability stretches beyond simply performance in use. The idea of ‘Material Passports’ is gaining significant traction – whereby the materials that go into a building are accompanied by detailed lifecycle information, so when end-of-life arrives the products are well understood with regards issues such as disposal or recycling. This feeds in to the idea of the circular economy, and again the timber industry needs to be on-board if it is to compete.

‘Sustainable’ is a word that needs constant and close scrutiny as it becomes more widely used. Yes, timber is sustainable, but even here there are different levels of sustainability and different processes that have an impact on a product’s green credentials. Local sourcing versus imported products is an obvious example. There is far greater social value and inherent sustainability in a timber product that has been sourced from well-managed domestic

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This has been the thinking behind the Grown in Britain movement and its new licensing scheme that provides assurance that timber doesn’t just come from a well-managed forest, but also a guarantee that it has been grown locally in British woodlands. Once you bring together the idea of reliable, technical, data-endowed products with true sustainability through local sourcing, you suddenly have an offer which is compelling and attractive to architects. It is all about reassurance and offering architects product they can confidently stand behind. The more the UK timber industry can bring these two concepts together, the stronger it will be in the marketplace. For more information visit: www.brimstonewood.co.uk

IMAGES COURTESY VASTERN TIMBER: 01. Brimstone, thermally-modified Poplar 02. British Sweet-Chestnut cladding 03. Architects and designers are using more timber cladding

Timber cladding from British forests We offer a range of British timbers ideal for external cladding. Species available include oak, sweet chestnut, larch and western red cedar.

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Vastern Timber Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire T 01793 853 281 E sales@vastern.co.uk Studley, Wiltshire T 01249 813 173

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CASE STUDY // ACCOYA

RETROFIT & MODIFIED WOOD Accoya, the world-leading modified wood manufactured by Accsys Technologies, has been used in the refurbishment of a sustainably re-modernised family home in Scotland. The project builds on extensive testing undertaken for the Dunsmore House Accoya foundation beam investigation.

01 Accoya was chosen for a low carbon retrofit and modernisation of a classic 1930’s Edinburgh bungalow and was used for structural beams to support a glazed room extension and also external cladding. Owner Dr Robert Hairstans, Head of Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Offsite Construction + Innovative Structures (COCIS), chose Accoya to clad the exterior of his family home and to provide the external support beams of a cantilevered glazed kitchen extension. Created using Accsys’ propriety acetylation process Accoya is one of the most advanced modified wood products on the market and delivers outstanding levels of

performance, stability and durability. Tasked with sourcing low carbon materials for the build, Dr Hairstan’s appointed architect David Blaikie, who opted to use Accoya which is 100% non-toxic and Cradle-toCradle Gold certified. Mr Blaikie cited its BREEAM Excellent rating as a key factor for the build. To eliminate the need for expensive new foundations underneath the extension, Accoya was used to cantilever the space. Structural Accoya sections were re-engineered to form the beams from glulam for enhanced strength, stiffness and durability. The beams were placed underneath the suspended floor of the

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cantilevered glass box extension. Installed by MAKAR Construction, the Accoya sections were used to support an open plan kitchen and diner extension with insulated zinc clad roof. The extension faces south-west in order to gather natural light and generate solar energy. The movement of the Accoya beams was initially measured for any noticeable change due to the installation of glazing and later for further changes over time. The final maximum movement after six months was 3mm, which is less than half of the allowable 7.15mm deflections prescribed by the Scottish codes of building practice. The build has also doubled as an applied

02 research project which undergraduate and postgraduate students have participated in via Edinburgh Napier University’s Institute for Sustainable Construction and COCIS. Architect David Blaikie said: “Through testing, we have recorded fractional movement of the Accoya foundations highlighting their robustness and suitability to support such a large structure. Accoya’s unique properties, including excellent dimensional stability, helped achieve this through preventing shrinking and swelling. The level of build quality, architectural improvements and low carbon credentials achieved through using Accoya represent an extremely high level of cost benefit.” Able to cope with the harshest weather conditions, Accoya is proven to be a sustainable, durable, and stable material, which is guaranteed against rot and decay for 50 years when used above ground and 25 years below ground. Laura Ladd, Head of Marketing for Accsys Technologies said: “The varied use of Accoya throughout the property in Edinburgh is testament to the product’s performance and appeal. The Accoya support beams beneath the bungalow have undergone extensive testing, and have outperformed many other traditional foundations. With its impressive durability and low maintenance requirements, Accoya makes the ideal construction material for dual applications such as this.” Made from FSC-certified wood from legal, manageable and sustainable forests, Accoya is an attractive wood product which is perfect for a variety of uses from windows and doors to external cladding, structural projects and decking. www.accsysplc.com | www.accoya.com

IMAGE: 01-02. Durable and low maintenance Accoya external cladding

FACADES // ALUMASC VENTILATED SYSTEM

Mending UK Housing with Innovative Products Mark Gibbs, Technical Director for Alumasc Facade Systems and designer of the company’s new Alumasc Ventilated System (AVS), shares his views on the challenges of hitting Government housing targets through offsite manufacture and standardised design.

01 Housing Minister, Brandon Lewis has set out an ambitious target to build one million new homes before the end of the current Parliament. Hitting such an aspirational target calls for immediate action and an increase in construction to at least 200,000 new homes per year. This is a level of housebuilding that has not been seen in England since 1989. So how do we ensure that we are producing quality, desirable housing at a rapid rate? It is clear that the housing market in Britain is broken and fixing it has been a key priority for both the current Government and their predecessors. There have been attempts to tackle the issue and stimulate increased supply by boosting demand with measures such as the Help-to-Buy scheme. Whatever the solution is, there is no getting away from the fact that if the UK is to meet its ambitious housebuilding targets, we are going to have to build an increasingly large number of homes in a limited time frame.

It is easy however, to focus on the short-term goal which is to construct a mass volume of housing. In my opinion, it is equally important to consider the long term aspirations of creating good quality homes that will stand the test of time. This is not just a numbers game – it is crucial to specify materials and components that will develop homes to last for years to come. Standardised buildings were the Government’s solution to tackling the post-war issue of a booming population in need of housing – not dissimilar to the problems that we are facing today. We must be cautious not to follow the same path of high-density, low-quality homes that are lacking in appeal. Despite the mistakes of the last century, standardisation of homes does not necessarily have to be viewed as a negative. For example, a guarantee of reduced time, optimum cost and high

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quality can be achieved, with consideration also given to whole-life assessment. In order to reap the benefits of offsite construction and standardised design, it is important that the distinction is made between process and product. Both standardisation and prefabrication are process driven and providing that high-quality, long-lasting, products are specified, we are able to avoid past misjudgements made by previous industry leaders. In regard to housing – rather than viewing such processes as a barrier to innovation – providing the aims of any project are clearly mapped out from the early stages of design, it will be possible to maximise value and aesthetic appeal. Standardisation does not mean mass replication – although the fundamental system remains consistent – bespoke finishes can make each project appear unique. Bespoke finishes systems are now available, such as the Alumasc Ventilated System (AVS) that are available in a choice of final finishes. The AVS can be utilised as an offsite manufactured solution that improves efficiency and speed of construction as well as enhancing the quality of finish – any brick in the marketplace can be colour matched via the use of lightweight acrylic brick slips. The system is also approved for use with high-performance throughcoloured silicone renders, along with an extensive range of dashing renders. This directly addresses the issues of mass standardisation by offering the unique final aesthetics to meet the exacting requirements of architects, designers, housebuilders and ultimately, potential purchasers. http://avs.alumascfacades.co.uk/

IMAGE: 01. Courtesy of Alumasc Ventilated Systems

CASE STUDY // ALUMASC VENTILATED SYSTEM

ADVANCED FACADE SOLUTIONS FOR STRUCTURAL TIMBER APPLICATIONS The housing shortfall has been well documented and as the Government calls to build better homes at a rapid rate – for those in the construction sector with fresh ideas and innovative technologies, this nationwide crisis has the potential to change the norm which governs the way new homes are built.

Experts have hailed offsite construction as a proficient way to respond to the demand. Moving construction into a manufacturing environment enables the build to take place both efficiently and economically, making the national shortage of labour less of a concern. Alumasc has made steps towards tackling the issues of the housing crisis by developing the Alumasc Ventilated Facade System (AVS) – a BBA certified offsite manufactured cladding solution that improves efficiency and speed of construction as well as enhancing the quality of finish, whilst delivering aesthetics to meet the exacting requirements of architects, designers and housebuilders. In developing AVS, the challenge was to design a ventilated system that would replicate traditional building aesthetics, whilst providing a lightweight solution that could be fixed directly to framed constructions. The main goal was to ensure the system was engineered to deliver structural stability across all applications whilst providing adaptability to all forms of modern construction but with an ability to be installed onsite and offsite. With structural timber solutions acquiring a 27% share of the housing market, the initial focus for AVS product development and application are the timber frame and SIPs suppliers.

IMAGE: 01. Bellevue Terrace, Bristol

01 Bellevue Terrace, Bristol The development consists of a number of new homes that were built in the desirable Totterdown area of the city. AVS was speciﬁed by the developer, Elson Homes, for their newbuild timber frame houses to ensure a fast, efﬁcient and seamless build process. Designed to replicate existing buildings in the area – the Alumasc team worked closely with the structural engineer, architect and installer from the start of the project. By the sharing of technical information, such as independent structural engineering reports, containing crucial racking, weight and loading calculations – the use of the AVS system negated the requirement for horizontal movement joints, further improving the buildings replication of the surrounding vernacular.

AVS was counter-battened to fall flush with the brick plinth and the versatile system accepted stone replication features – which was crucial to reflect the surrounding listed buildings. Alumasc provided extensive support throughout the project. This included in-house and onsite training for Elson’s installation team as well as frequent site visits to ensure the quality of the system’s application and detailing. Together with fire performance, wind load, weathering and impact resistance – AVS was specified due to the system’s colour and texture matching capability. For Bellevue Terrace, AVS was finished with Alumasc’s high performance Silicone Render in a range of colours, in synergy with the existing dwellings. For more information: www.alumascfacades.co.uk

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ADVERTORIAL

CABERSHIELDPLUS & CABERDEK Norbord’s range of best-selling flooring solutions are designed for today’s busy builder to make life easier, simpler and more sustainable.

changing. Norbord’s CaberBoard flooring range is the UK’s best-selling chipboard flooring product, its handy dimensions allowing ease of handling and its robust tongue-and-groove edging ensuring a secure and even surface. Today things are moving on. As the housing market continues to grow strongly, tradesmen are obliged to look for methods of completing projects faster and more efficiently. Consequently, more of them are looking beyond the standard CaberFloor P5 panel and choosing Norbord’s advanced CaberDek and CaberShieldPlus products.

CaberShieldPlus – flooring that keeps you building even with the roof off. New from Norbord, CaberShieldPlus is the ideal flooring solution when building in Britain’s unpredictable climate. Based on Norbord’s popular moisture-resistant Caberfloor P5 tongue-and-groove particleboard flooring panel, CaberShieldPlus is specially designed to withstand exposure to wet conditions.

peeled off after completion but is bonded permanently on both sides of the panel and waterproof.

Unlike Norbord’s other protected flooring product CaberDek, which features a peel-able film on the top surface, CaberShieldPlus has protection on both sides, not just the exposed upper surface. The top surface features a permanent non-slip coating that not only prevents damage to the board but also ensures a safe working platform. The underside is protected with the smooth coating that not only protects against damage but also makes the board easy to slide into position. For added durability, the coating applied to CaberShieldPlus is not designed to be

With CaberShieldPlus, fast-track build programmes won’t be derailed by rain, sleet or snow. BBA-approved for up to 42 days’ continuous exposure to the elements when used with Caberfix D4 adhesive, the new board lets builders carry on building even with the roof off. The easy-to-handle 2400mm x 600mm tongue-and-grooved panels are available in 18mm and 22mm thicknesses and are colour-coded to make it easy to identify the top surface. Ideal for domestic newbuild and refurbishment projects, as well as many commercial applications, CaberShieldPlus is delivered in packs of 80 (18mm gauge) or 66 (22mm). CaberBoard Flooring Range – the UK’s best-selling chipboard flooring product. For many years, the preferred material for decking suspended timber floors has been chipboard – and that shows no sign of

Both CaberDek and CaberShieldPlus use the same P5 moisture-resistant particleboard but also feature further added benefits meaning the floor can be laid even before the roof is installed. CaberDek has a non-slip protective film to prevent damage to the board from following wet trades – such as plastering and painting. The film takes all the dirt and damage away with it, leaving a pristine floor surface ready to accept carpet or other finish. CaberShieldPlus has a tough, waterproof coating permanently bonded to both top and bottom surfaces of the board giving the builder confidence that CaberShieldPlus will stand up to most heard wearing jobs during the construction phase. When CaberDek or CaberShield is installed with Norbord’s CaberFix range of adhesives – Joint & Joist, T&G PVA, D4 or Pro Kit – a CaberBoard floor will produce a high quality, longlasting, squeak-free chipboard floor – and in double-quick time. For further information: Tel: 01786 812 921 Visit: www.norbord.co.uk

IMAGES: 01-02. CaberShieldPlus and CaberDek use the same P5 moisture-resistant particleboard

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ADVERTORIAL

NEW STEICOdurelisdek BOOSTS ONSITE FLOOR DECK PERFORMANCE WITH TRIPLE PROTECTION Following a consultation and trial period market leading I-Joist supplier STEICO have introduced a complimentary decking product which offers the very best onsite protection for the complete floor unit.

01 STEICOdurelisdek features triple protection avoiding excessive swelling of the board substrate even in the most hostile of situations on site. Firstly, the Durelis board from Unilin Panels is a higher surface density P5 particle board with unique Top Surface technology making it far less prone to moisture related swelling and thermal expansion. Secondly, the top surface has an additional wax sealer applied which adds further protection and allows the finished floor to be cleaned easily for a pristine finish on handover and thirdly, a final proven slip resistant and durable peel off layer together with a customised fixing kit protects the floor for the exposed construction period.

Andy Moore, STEICO UK Managing Director (Sales) says: “For quite a time we have been concerned about the level of onsite deterioration on decking used externally with I-Joist systems. Excessive swelling and movement of the decking following temporary exposure to the elements can lead to noisy squeaky floors, compromised acoustic integrity and in worst cases a loss of structural performance. Having to sand swollen joints and cut in additional expansion gaps is sadly an all too often necessity and adds additional costs for the builder.

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“We have worked hard with our partners Price & Pierce (Unilin Panels) to develop this new triple protected enhanced floor deck which builds in real durability and performance without adding significantly to cost. STEICOdurelisdek offers suppliers, users and developers peace of mind and the chance to purchase the complete floor system from one source with best in class performance assured.” Stephen Pitt, Director, Price & Pierce add: “Since taking on the Unilin Panels agency in 2011 we have worked hard to build the brand awareness of Durelis board in the UK and today many distributors and end users are experiencing the exceptional quality, durability and performance of Durelis in floor, wall and roof applications. The partnership with I-Joist experts STEICO UK predominantly in the newbuild floor arena, opens up a new and exciting market for us and one where the integral qualities of the Durelis board are perfectly suited.” To arrange a site trial or for further information on this exciting new decking product or for any other STEICO engineered wood or natural wood fibre insulation products contact: Andy Moore Tel: 01727 515120 Email: a.moore@steico.com Visit: www.steico.co.uk

IMAGE: 01. STEICOdurelisdek features triple protection avoiding excessive swelling of the board substrate

CLT – the optimum look, feel and function Cross laminated timber delivers maximum programme beneﬁts, reduces maintenance and life cycle costs, whilst minimising the impact on the environment. Effortlessly combining aesthetics, strength and performance beneﬁts CLT creates the optimum look, feel and function which resonate with the environmentally conscious clients and developers.

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Wooden Cladding – only better!

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SKILLS AND RECRUITMENT

Can Offsite Construction Solve the Skills Shortage? The construction sector has an overall skills crisis. One widely repeated solution is to turn to offsite manufacture with its improved efficiencies and reduced need for people to complete the same work. Jim Roach, Managing Director of specialist recruiter ARV Solutions highlights some important areas that need addressing before offsite can really successfully rise to the challenge.

Offsite has its own skills shortage Whilst offsite reduces the need for large quantities of people, it has a skills shortage itself. In addition, while some manufacturing jobs may be lower skilled and are popular with many available job seekers (permanent, steady, indoors, secure), we also need to further increase efficiencies, which can lead to new skill requirements. We need many more and different, skills. Low pay Our experience is that skilled candidates don’t come knocking for jobs in offsite construction from other sectors very often. If anything, people tend to leave for better pay and conditions elsewhere within construction (with deeper pocketed developers and major contractors realising the need to increase pay faster than offsite). We have seen substantial pay increases in the last year or so, but this is only beginning to make up for the past and still playing ‘catch-up’.

Resistance to attract from other sectors As recruiters, we are still rarely asked to source skills from other sectors, even if they wanted to move. The default is to ask for specific sector experience thus getting what we always had. We find some of the very best candidates and clients are the few who have successfully made moves from automotive or aerospace and adapted to manufacturing for construction. The level of skill in other sectors could bring great advances to offsite but a significant number of our clients are still insisting on construction experience – this is despite constant comparisons with automotive and aerospace where we are told we need to be more like these industries. Lag in education and training Internal training is now really increasing and we see many more trainees and apprentices. Is it enough and is there enough funding? As an industry largely made up of SMEs it is inevitably difficult to invest as heavily as one would like. Higher education establishments can be rather traditional like construction. They teach traditional construction methods and materials and would help the sector

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01 greatly, if they taught more about offsite manufacturing as a method of construction too. A far wider awareness of the highquality permanent construction capabilities of offsite construction is still needed from school level up. Adversarial nature of construction Offsite providers focus on manufacturing and are inevitably less familiar with adversarial contractual arrangements. Too many manufacturers have gone out of business recently (long since the recession) for falling down on contract conditions. Whilst we are delighted to help place candidates caught in these circumstances in new careers, inevitably there is a skills fallout away from the industry in each case. We are beginning to see organisations working outside the traditional contracting form which gives me some hope – otherwise hire better QSs and Commercial Managers than your clients. Continued...

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SKILLS AND RECRUITMENT

02 Low margins At the recent Explore Offsite Housing event not a single hand went up when the speaker asked if this was a high margin sector. How are we to attract the best talent without changing this mentality? Many other sectors strive for productivity improvements and innovations to the ‘nth degree’ to gain cost reductions and quality improvements – not just insisting on price cuts. They do it by working collaboratively with their supply chain to the benefit of all. Traditional mindset – in offsite too The offsite sector rightly bemoans traditional construction for resistance to change, though offsite needs to look at itself too. There is still plenty of potential for improvement in technology and efficiencies, particularly in areas such as lean, continuous improvement and BIM. The industry can too easily be accused of just building under cover, where it needs to truly demonstrate it has become a manufacturing process. Acronyms and phrases like JIT, TQM, TPS, DfM, DfMA, 3D printing, virtual reality, continuous improvement, automation,

robotisation, digitisation, six sigma and world-class manufacturing are rarely heard still. The best would admit to being just part way down the journey compared to other industries. To really attract the best skills in manufacturing we need these to become more commonplace. Attracting ‘Millennials’? They are hard to find and are not desperately looking for you. We need to learn how and where to make young people aware of the career potential within offsite construction. Yes, I agree: too much is spoken about what so called ‘Millennials’ are or how to deal with them. What is indisputable, is they have grown up surrounded with technology and the digital world at their fingertips. Construction is just about getting to grips with BIM Level 2 while our kids are playing games based in highly-rendered virtual 3D cities, or even designing them online and everything can be learnt through Google (apparently..). The good news is young people are likely to be more attracted to advanced 3D and 4D-design and

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automated manufacturing than sawing wood or stacking clay blocks in a muddy field in all weathers – so offsite will win if we can reach out.

I am convinced offsite is a significant part of solving the skills crisis and in moving the construction industry into the 21st Century proper. Writing articles (and reading them) won’t solve it – we need to take all the actions we can to see offsite take its fullest role in building the future. For more information visit: www.arvsolutions.co.uk

IMAGE: 01. Jim Roach 02. Explore Offsite audience - exceptional learning opportunities

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0117 9592008 ARV Solutions are the UK’s leading recruitment consultancy for the offsite construction sector, and it’s supply chain. We are your trusted recruitment partner for permanent, contract and interim staffing needs in all forms of structural timber, timber supply, modular build and wider offsite manufacturing and construction sectors, throughout the UK and internationally.

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A. Proctor Group Potton Passivhaus Showhouse The UK’s first permanent Passivhaus showhouse, has been built by Potton using the Kingspan TEK® Building System at their Self-Build Show Centre in St Neots and utilises Wraptite-SA (Self-Adhered) air barrier membrane, supplied by the A. Proctor Group. Wraptite-SA is both vapour permeable and airtight, combining two important properties in one BBA certified solution for wall and roof applications. Its unique vapour permeability allows the air barrier to be positioned externally, leading to a faster and more robust installation, with fewer penetrations for building services and structural elements. At a recent Self-Build Live event in March, Potton managed to improve on their target of 0.60 ac/h (air changes per hour), to 0.5 ac/h. For further information on the Wraptite-SA membrane visit our website.

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RCM Building Boards Quality Certified Products As a major supplier of building boards and facades, RCM’s extensive quality certified product range has been designed and tested to meet the demanding needs of the construction industry. The company’s approach is competitive, flexible and customer focused - providing a complete service, from initial advice through to delivery. Specifying systems with credible certifications which are recognised by building control, government departments, architects, local authorities, and building insurers - provides reassurance and confidence to specifiers. For those interested in finding out more, RCM provide informative CPD sessions including: a guide to materials, applications and specification considerations for building boards, internal and external linings and rainscreen facades and covering.

T: 0845 1303725 www.buildingboards.co.uk

Offsite Awards Offsite Awards go from Strength to Strength The Offsite Awards reward outstanding examples of prefabrication and factory-based methods, products, systems and disciplines that increasingly strive to develop a sustainable, streamlined and cost-effective way to deliver a better built environment. Across key sectors of UK construction, the Awards will showcase innovation, celebrate best practice and recognise overall expertise in offsite construction through landmark projects, influential people and material and manufacturing excellence in this dynamic arena. There are 12 categories available to enter at no cost, including: Best Use of Timber, Housing Project of the Year and Commercial Project of the Year.

B&K Structures Optimised Hybrid Structures - CPD Offering a complete package of material services, across a wide range of structural products including glulam, cross laminated timber, timber cassettes and steel frame, as part of their hybrid structural solutions - B & K Structures has an outstanding, award winning portfolio across a spectrum of sectors. By selecting the most effective combination of systems and materials to meet the brief and performance specification, B & K Structures, as the UK’s leading sustainable frame contractor, specialise in the design, manufacture and delivery of optimised hybrid structures. Please contact us for more information or to book an Optimised Hybrid CPD session.

Submission Deadline: 31 July 2016. Full details of the 2015 Offsite Awards winners are available online.

T: 01743 290001 www.offsiteawards.co.uk

Kingspan Timber Solutions Achieving High Performance Buildings As the leading innovator in the development and application of structural timber technology - Kingspan Timber Solutions is a pioneer in sustainable timber construction. With a collaborative culture, Kingspan Timber Solutions design, manufacture, assemble and project manage the construction of cutting-edge timber solutions across all construction sectors. Through the company’s extensive product portfolio, Kingspan Timber Solutions’ focus is firmly on value engineering. By using the ultimate combination – Kingspan Timber Solutions deliver award winning hybrid structural timber systems, optimised in terms of cost and performance.

T: 01773 853 400 www.bkstructures.co.uk

Simpson strong-tie Structural Screws without Equal Leading construction connector manufacturer Simpson Strong-Tie has developed a range of structural screws aimed squarely at the engineered timber construction industry. Available in lengths up to 400mm, the ETA approved range includes washer head and countersunk options suitable for all manner of timber construction technologies including timber frame, CLT, SIP and Glulam as well as being an excellent method for joining multiple I-joists or trusses to act as a single member – all without pre-drilling. Simpson Strong-Tie Sales Director, Jon Head explains: “Easy and fast to install, these screws offer high tensile capacities and superb pull-out resistance”.

Please contact us for more information or to book a CPD.

T: 01767 676400 www.kingspantimbersolutions.co.uk

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T: 01827 255600 www.strongtie.co.uk

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