News

STA Responds to government’s net zero strategy

The Structural Timber Association (STA) has welcomed the Government’s Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener, which places a firm emphasis on reducing the embodied carbon of buildings by adopting more sustainable materials, such as timber.

Andrew Orriss, Chief Operating Officer of the STA, commented: “This is an excellent step forward in policy, which we support wholeheartedly. It’s encouraging to see that the Government has listened to the many industry voices that have been calling for regulatory guidance on embodied carbon and that the strategy intends to improve carbon reporting and explore maximum limits on future new builds. With the construction industry contributing 39% of global carbon emissions – and with embodied carbon accounting for 11% of that total – it’s clear that reducing the carbon footprint of the materials we use will have a significant impact.

“Recognising the enormous potential for carbon sequestration that timber offers, it’s heartening to see that the Net Zero Strategy also includes a commitment to developing a policy roadmap for increasing the use of timber in construction. We welcome the proposed cross-government and industry working group, which will be tasked with increasing public demand for sustainably sourced timber and encouraging research into overcoming the barriers to timber uptake.

“Naturally, as the STA we believe that timber is an excellent building material when used in an appropriate context and our objective is – of course – to promote its many benefits. However, we firmly believe that this should be achieved by providing fact-based, unbiased information that supports informed specification choices. There is no one-size-fits all solution and we recognise that there is space within the market for all construction materials – indeed, we would welcome engagement on increasing the delivery of hybrid constructions. We believe this is the most pragmatic way of achieving the overall goal of significant carbon reduction.

“To that end, we’re working closely with industry stakeholders to forge stronger links and provide stability for those working in timber construction and have produced a series of guides and a white paper, to provide a better understanding of the use of timber in construction from a risk management perspective. Our online library contains a wealth of documents, with information on all aspects of timber construction, from Building Regulations to best practice principles. It is a valuable resource which can assist those specifying structural timber for projects or provide technical support during installation on-site.”

SO Modular expands team with four new hires

‘SO Modular, the timber frame construction specialist, has brought in four new members of staff, and promoted two, as it continues to expand its fast-growing, multi-faceted, innovative and sustainable business. The company’s most recent appointments are Dennis Nelder, Kayleigh Westwood, Mark Hughes, and Nicholas Morris. Nelder has taken on the role of Transport Manager, following 15 years’ experience working within the supply chain and manufacturing industry for companies, including Celsa. Westwood is the company’s new Technical Officer, with a remit of overseeing production, monitoring shop floor output, and improving processes. She is responsible for ensuring the organisation’s audit compliance, including maintaining and improving ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. Her role also includes hosting external audits from various certification bodies, including BOPAS, STA, BBA and BM TRADA. Hughes takes on the position of Buyer for the company, following 17 years working in a similar role for WRW Construction. Morris is SO Modular’s new material planner. His responsibilities include determining material specifications, creating and maintaining inventory schedules and delivery changes co-ordinating with internal departments. He joins the company after five years working as a production coordinator at a leading aircraft interiors manufacturer.

The four new team members join SO Modular at its new 350,000sq ft timber and modular manufacturing facility in Neath, South Wales, as it gears up for the facility’s grand opening and a seven-fold increase in its production capacity – following a six-figure investment in new equipment. In addition to the four new hires, the company has also promoted timber frame designers, Jack Harding, and Andrew Mitchell, to Design Manager and Technical Manager respectively.

Charlotte Hale (pictured), Operations Director at SO Modular, said: “It’s great to be able to welcome so many talented and experienced new staff members to the SO Modular team, as well as developing and promoting the people we already having working at SO Modular. Each of them brings their own unique skills to the company, and we are sure they will all play a part in our continuing development, innovation and expansion.”

More at  www.somodular.co.uk

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Stewart Milne offloads timber systems business

Stewart Milne Group is selling its market leading timber systems business to focus on investing in the growth of Stewart Milne Homes across Scotland and Northwest England. The independent housebuilder and manufacturer of timber frame for offsite construction is capitalising on Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ (SMTS) position as the recognised UK market leader by putting the business up for sale at a time when the market is set to grow exponentially.

Demand for timber frame has been rising rapidly and its use is anticipated to double in the next five years to meet government housing targets. As housebuilders tackle the dual challenge of achieving net-zero carbon targets and dealing with acute skills shortages, they are increasingly turning to modern methods of construction using renewable sources.

Alex Goodfellow, Stewart Milne Group Managing Director – Strategic Development, who is leading the sale process, said: “With the scale of the opportunity in the growing timber frame market, SMTS presents a highly compelling investment proposition. We anticipate attracting a high level of interest from potential buyers who will invest in order to capitalise on that opportunity.”

Stewart Milne Group has been investing in SMTS’ product and manufacturing innovation and capacity at its factories in Aberdeen and Witney to keep up with the extremely strong demand. Increased volumes have led to the creation of a third production facility in central Scotland.

Stewart Milne Group’s CEO, Stuart MacGregor, added: “To keep pace with demand, it’s clear that further investment in production capacity in both Scotland and England will be required. As a privately run, independent company, we need to prioritise where we invest in the future. Since reopening last summer, after the initial COVID lockdown, we’ve seen record levels of activity in the UK housing sector. The strength of our business with its award-winning developments, new homes range and record sales has enabled us to capitalise on these favourable market conditions and positioned us superbly for future growth.”

“We have therefore chosen to divest our successful timber systems business to increase investment in additional sites for Stewart Milne Homes. Using our considerable land buying experience to take advantage of the development opportunities, we will invest in land in the short term and concentrate on growing our homes business in the longer term.”

‘Assessing the carbon-related impacts and benefits of timber in construction products and buildings’ explains how to account for carbon in timber buildings and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) by rigorously applying the latest British/ European Standards.

New technical paper aims to ‘set the standard’ for measuring embodied carbon in timber construction

This will prove useful for building designers, clients, and contractors when assessing the embodied carbon associated with buildings and other structures, as well as product manufacturers and suppliers in demonstrating the carbon impact of their products.

Charlie Law, Sustainability Director at Timber Development UK said: “The construction and built environment sector is responsible for nearly 40% of global CO2emissions, and a significant proportion of this is through embodied carbon accumulated within the construction and manufacturing process.

“Regulatory and professional focus has for the past four decades largely focused on operational carbon, such as heating in buildings, while embodied carbon emissions have been overlooked – but this is beginning to change. Across the built environment professions there is rising wave of awareness that if we are to build to net-zero carbon we need to tackle how we account for embodied carbon.

“This paper seeks to help unify how we account for embodied carbon within timber buildings and structures so we can better understand, measure, and address these emissions in order to reduce their environmental impact. Along with the likes of Part Z and the Climate Emergency Design Guide this paper seeks to help build understanding and drive forward lowcarbon construction, and set the standard for measuring embodied carbon in timber construction”

Timber Development UK worked with Jane Anderson of ConstructionLCA to develop this paper, the first technical paper from this newly formed membership organisation which is aiming to bring together the entire timber supply chain.

This paper is free to download from the TTF at  https://ttf.co.uk/download/ tduk-technical-paper

Manifesto calls for greater use of wood to help prevent climate breakdown

To avert the worst effects of climate change, the global forest and timber industries are calling on politicians to urgently support the scaling up of the use of wood in a new manifesto. The manifesto ‘Growing our low-carbon future: Time for Timber’, sets out the case for how we can make greater use of wood to transform our built environment, which currently is responsible for approximately 40% of global energy related CO2 emissions.

Achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 requires construction to rapidly decarbonise whilst still meeting the needs of a growing urban population, the increasing demand for new buildings, and the urgent requirement to renovate existing buildings.

Wood is the only sustainable structural material which can enable a substantial decarbonisation of the built environment based on existing business models and proven technology, providing vast carbon sinks in our rural areas and carbon stores in our cities.

Speaking at the launch of Time for Timber, Andrew Waugh of Waugh Thistleton Architects said: “Wood and wood-based materials offer solutions based on existing business models and proven technology. This is ‘carbon capture and storage’ in action now – with no further research or technological breakthroughs needed. Sequestration in the forest and storage in the wood is a win-win, as at the same time as we capture and store, we are also substituting for fossil fuel-based materials. And with multiple trees planted for each one which is harvested, it is sustainable.”

David Hopkins, chief executive of the Timber Trade Federation, said: “As it stands the world is on track for catastrophic global heating. We need to rapidly decarbonise. Yet we find many of the promises from government reliant on unproven technologies to prop up existing, polluting industries – this cannot be acceptable. The five recommendations included in the report seek to rapidly scale up the global forestry and timber industries and enhance the ability of the supply chain to minimise CO2 emissions across the lifecycle of any wood product:

• Embed mandatory lifecycle assessments and embodied carbon thresholds within local and national building plans. • Increase the use of wood within new build and renovation. • Drive the growth of the bio-based circular economy through sustainable public procurement. • Facilitate resource efficient use of wood and wood recycling, especially collection and sorting in municipalities, and develop measures to gain access to post-consumer wood, an invaluable secondary raw material resource. • Increase training to upskill workers and create new jobs to boost the development of a sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

More at  www.cei-bois.org  www.ttf.co.uk  www.worldofwoodfestival.org

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Lathams moves to address industry ‘lack of carbon understanding’

Timber and materials supplier James Latham has released a ‘carbon calculator’ designed to direct customers towards more sustainable products. Built in partnership with the BioComposites Department at the University of Bangor, it is based upon detailed research into the embodied and biogenic carbon impacts of the products that they supply. The calculator covers just over 70% of the total Lathams range and focuses on timber products. In time, it will also incorporate composite materials that were out of scope for the first phase.

Ewa Bazydlo, environmental manager at Lathams, said: “Reducing the environmental impact of our buildings is one of the key issues of our time. However, the understanding around sustainability is not consistent across the industry. We’ve developed the calculator to help our customers to better understand the sustainability of the materials they choose as well as the expected performance levels that they offer.”

The tool calculates environmental impact by looking at the carbon footprint of products, from production through to delivery to Lathams depots. It also looks at how much carbon is stored within the wood’s structure, known as biogenic carbon.

Each product then receives a rating from 1 – 4 (one being the highest, four being the lowest), based on the confidence that Lathams has in the data used for the calculations. The higher the score, the higher the quality of the data points that have been reviewed, for example an audited and published EPD (Environmental Performance Declaration). Lathams will be adding the carbon data to all invoices, delivery notes, and other key documentation to increase visibility around this issue.

It is a move that Campbell Skinner, senior lifecycle assessment analyst at BioComposites Centre, argues is a positive step forward: “Companies have used eco-labels before, but the approach taken by Lathams is really innovative. For the first time that I’m aware, the confidence with which these footprints are presented is rated and placed foremost in the labelling. Latham’s customers are being given a clear indication of the transparency with which suppliers are reporting their carbon footprints and this will surely nudge more companies towards independently verified reporting schemes, such as EPDs.”

Ewa added: “We needed a mechanism to rank our products and make it quick and easy for our customers to be able to specify more carbon conscious materials. As a large distributor, we have the relationships with the supply chain, which improves our ability to source and analyse the relevant data and make recommendations. We hope that others in the industry follow our lead and improve the transparency around these products so that we can work together to reduce construction’s impact on the environment.”

To complement the calculator and share some of the insights from their research, Lathams is publishing a ‘Think You Know Carbon?’ guide. It will include an overview of the main issues in sustainability, a glossary of key terminology and steps that architects and specifiers can take to be more sustainable in their designs. It will also include highlights of some of the most sustainable products Lathams stock, from manufacturers such as Accsys Technologies, which produce modified timber Accoya, and UPM Plywood, home to WISA® plywood products.

More at  www.lathamtimber.co.uk/carbon-calculator-

Tropical Timber Accord launched at COP26

A major new initiative to tackle illegal deforestation and strengthen legal governance frameworks in tropical forest producer countries and within international timber supply chains has been launched. The Tropical Timber Accord was launched in the Blue Zone at COP26.

Billed as a ‘call to action’ from the global private sector involved in forest management and timber production globally, the Tropical Timber Accord - ‘Global Forests need Global Governance’ highlights that strong, inclusive legal frameworks are essential for the sustainable management of tropical forests, which underpins all other climate policy ambitions. The paper proposes a new governance approach for the global tropical forest sector based on national standards within an international framework. Crucially, it also proposes supporting an international secretariat to administer and oversee the development of this framework.

Produced from a series of workshops with trade associations and businesses throughout the tropical production belt and facilitated and led by the UK Timber Trade Federation (TTF), the Accord is supported by associations in consumer nations including China, Europe and the UK.

Vel Gnanendran, climate and environment director of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “We really welcome this call to action that the TTF has facilitated. We have to be able to support growth in countries across the world where the forests are an important economic resource, but at the same time, protect and support our climate change objectives.” Sheam Satkuru, director of operations of the International Tropical Timber Organisation said: “Protecting and growing our global forests cannot be left to “one-sided” approaches, but must be within a continual dialogue which supports sustainable production and shares the cost of enforcement. The tropical timber sector has a key role in achieving the forest management and conservation goals of COP26, and this requires the private sector, governments and civil society coming together to promote governance and sustainable management of resources.”

David Hopkins, chief executive of the TTF said: “This is the first time that the global private sector of the forestry management and timber production industry has come together to speak with one united voice to advocate for greater global governance and enforceable legal frameworks in supply chains and within producer forest countries. Now we need to start to put some of the detail behind those pledges into action, with a far stronger global legal framework governing the management of forests and the trade through the supply chains.”

BSW Timber acquired by Binderholz

BSW Timber, the UK’s major integrated forestry and sawmilling group, was recently acquired by Binderholz. The deal is subject to normal closing conditions and approval from the Austrian Competition Commission and UK Financial Conduct Authority.

Binderholz is a significant global sawmiller and producer of value-added products, including cross laminated timber, glulam beams, solid wood panels, pressed pallet blocks, wood pellets and briquettes. The business has demonstrated a solid consistent growth, now operating in Austria, Germany, Finland and the USA.

Under the leadership of CEO Tony Hackney, BSW will integrate with Binderholz. “Our management teams across the business units remain and the whole team will be supported by Binder family and Senior management,” said Tony. “The long-established name of BSW will remain and business will be as normal, with much greater opportunity to supply a wider basket of products. We will be enhancing our capabilities to further expand our capacity and grow further in supply to all sectors,” added Tony.

“We are all excited and thoroughly committed to support the business through a transitionary period under new ownership and have demonstrated our ability to do this. I am very grateful to our previous owners

Endless LLP and the whole team for the support they have given us all at BSW.” Following the acquisition, Binderholz and BSW plan to undertake a significant capital investment program in the sites to increase capacity and broaden the capabilities of the business. Aidan Robson, Founding Partner of Endless LLP, said: “We are proud of what we have achieved at BSW in such a short period and have enjoyed working with the BSW Pictured: Front – Alan Milne, Hans Binder, Tony Hackney, Reinhard Binder. Back – Aidan Robson, Gebhard Duenser, Matteo Binder, Ludwig Foildl, Ian Henderson, team. We are delighted to be selling the Gavin Adkins. business to such a good home in Binderholz who have such a strong track record of growth and a market leading reputation. We feel this acquisition is hugely positive for the BSW employees, its customers and the whole supply chain”. Tony Hackney continued: “We are very pleased to be strengthening our position in the value-added timber market by becoming part of the Binderholz family. The opportunity to enhance our supply chain and additionally widen our product offering is exciting. This represents another major milestone in the growth of BSW and we are looking forward to drawing on the expertise and knowledge of the Binderholz team. I would also like to thank the Endless LLP team for their huge support over the last years.” More at  www.bsw.co.uk  www.binderholz.com

ABODO finger-jointed Vulcan cladding with riven effect, from Glenalmond Timber

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The Timber Decking and Cladding Association is an independent, not-for-profit technical and advisory body. It was established to promote the materials, design and installation practices required to create good quality decks, associated landscape structures and cladding on buildings.

International Timber gives ‘grand design’ a sustainable larch makeover

Larch with an innovative wood protection treatment, supplied by International Timber, has helped husband and wife team, Dan and Nina Rowland build their sustainable, three-storey dream home in Chichester. The waterside retreat comprises nearly 1000m of decking and over 6400m of cladding into the build, with SiOO-X wood protection treatment, to give the timber a long life and natural surface, with even colouration.

Dan, an architect and Nina, an interior designer purchased the plot over two years ago, comprising the original 1930s house and a stagnant pond, and set about creating a contemporary home that combines nature with eco-friendly design – a project that featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs in October 2021.

Having worked with timber on numerous residential projects, Dan knew that he wanted to incorporate the natural aesthetics of larch into the design, alongside a coating system for additional durability. The build’s environmental credentials were also a high priority, with the couple keen to prioritise natural products that were sustainably sourced alongside a range of innovations including high thermal efficiency, passive ventilation and renewable energy to power their entire home. It was this commitment to use timber products that would both stand the test of time and came with FSC certification, that led the couple to approach International Timber for advice.

Initial requirements had been for machine or sawn finished timber, but the cladding and decking team at International Timber advised a textured finished, which allows the grain of the timber to be showcased to best effect, while retaining a smooth service. Bernie Roberts, cladding and decking product manager who led the team at International Timber said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Dan and Nina on this project and see how our traditional larch timber has helped bring warmth and durability to their contemporary home. Larch is an excellent, timber to last a lifetime.

“Combining the wood with our innovative SiOO-X coating system, which accelerates the weathering process to provide an even, silver finish, adds an additional versatility - as proven by the fact that the timber has also been used internally to provide a high-end, decorative finish in the kitchen. All of our timber is sustainably sourced too, so the team always have a real sense of pride when they can see the product being used in projects like this, which are focused on the minimising overall environmental impact.”

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