Timber Expo & UKCW Birmingham Return

Visitor registration for UK Construction Week Birmingham (UKCW Birmingham), the UK’s largest event for the built environment, is now live, with the popular three-day show returning to Birmingham’s NEC from 4th to 6th October 2022.

Co-located events at UKCW Birmingham include Timber Expo, the UK’s only dedicated timber exhibition, which has been running for 10 years. Attended by architects, local authorities, merchants, developers, housebuilders and contractors, Timber Expo is designed for people who use, specify, design and build with timber, and offers the opportunity to join hundreds of other brands showcasing their latest innovation, products and services.

Timber Expo which is backed by and held in collaboration with Timber Development UK (TDUK), BM TRADA, Timber Construction and Timber Trader will have a programme of industry leaders, including architects, developers, housebuilders and merchants to name a few. They will debate and discuss the sector as we tackle post pandemic supply issues, post Brexit challenges, the impact of the Ukraine conflict on timber supply chain and the drive to net zero as we strive to meet COP26 targets. The exhibitor profile includes structural timber frame, sawmills, merchants, glulam, SIPs, CLT, fixings and fastenings, timber cladding, doors and windows, mouldings, skirtings and flooring products. Confirmed exhibitors at Timber Expo include Rokamat, Engineered Timber Solutions Ltd, Woodolex Ltd, the Ghana Forestry Commission and Hanson Plywood Ltd who specialise in the import, storage and distribution of wood-based panel products throughout the UK. Nathan Garnett, UKCW show director, commented: “UK Construction Week has always put timber at the heart of our event, and this year it will be all the more important that we use our platform in Birmingham to promote timber in construction. The drive to net-zero and the increasing need to improve quality in construction mean we need to enable a culture change in the way we build.

“This will be the seventh edition of our Birmingham show bringing together the whole industry. Following the hugely successful launch of the first-ever London show earlier this year, the standard has now been set for UK Construction Week Birmingham. “Although the construction sector makes up a significant proportion of the UK’s working population, we’re all aware of the huge skills shortages in the industry, and with the impact of the global pandemic and current climate, the importance and the appetite to raise awareness of the fantastic opportunities in this sector has only increased. As one of the youngest and most dynamic cities in Europe, Birmingham is the ultimate setting for this show, and we can’t wait to be back.” UK Construction Week Birmingham will celebrate culture change in construction with three days of debate and discussion from top speakers on how the industry can move forward to tackle its biggest issues, including quality, fire safety, sustainability, offsite manufacturing, mental health, and improving diversity and inclusion. As well as Timber, visitors will also be able to find sections dedicated to Building Materials, Digitalisation, Infrastructure, Energy, HVAC, Surface & Materials, Offsite Construction and Skills & Careers. Officially opened by architect and Channel 4 presenter George Clarke, UKCW Birmingham will also feature sessions and seminars in the Sustainability Hub forming the conference programme at the heart of Timber Expo. The hub programme will tackle the issues, layout strategies and present exemplar case studies to help the sector reach its net zero targets. 

The show for those who design & build with timber, and those who manufacture & distribute timber products

REGISTER FREE

www.timberexpo.co.uk

 Sustainability seminars:

4th October

10:45-11:30: Whole Life Carbon: The commercial reality of carbon in construction 11:35-12:20: ESG Finance, construction and the climate challenge 12:25-13:10: Energy policy: where do we go from here 13:15-14:00: Social sustainability is another way of saying ‘social value’ 14:05-14:50: Re-designing an industry for all-round health 5th October

10:30-11:15: Levers for success; key points for government and business to work together 11:20-12:05: Best practice: exemplars of national and international collaboration we can learn from 12:10-12:55: Meridian Water - works 13:00-13:45: City Trees - Timber for the city 13:50-14:35: The World’s tallest timber building 14:40 – 15:25: Building with waste 6th October

10:30-11:15: Creating a workforce to support a low-carbon future 11:20-12:05: A new model for upskilling professionals 12:10-12:55: Circular economy, circular city 13:00-13:50: Housing; what is the biggest issue among all the big issues 13:50-14:40: Innovation in Timber - changing the world with wood 14:40-15:30: The Cork House

In addition to the Sustainability Hub and main stages, the Careers Centre will provide a series of talks aimed at those interested in a career in construction, whether that be graduates, students in further education, or those looking at a career change. UKCW Birmingham will see over 6,000 products on display from over 300 exciting exhibitors including Bosch, Schneider Electric, Google, Graco Distribution, Wavin, Cemex, Hanson Plywood and many more. This year, the multi award-winning show has also attracted an abundance of overseas exhibitors, including brands from as far afield as Australia, India, Norway, Turkey and the UAE. With more than 75% of

 Key show features include:

• UKCW Role Model Awards: UKCW Birmingham will also host the UKCW Role Model Awards, celebrating the pioneers of construction. The award ceremony will be taking place on the main stage on 5th October • Seminar Programme: a comprehensive seminar programme and CPD opportunities • Innovation Zone: a dedicated showcase of innovative products • UKCW Careers Fair: launched at the show in London and coming to Birmingham, get free face-face career advice and meet and network with top employers at the UKCW Careers Fair

A packed seminar programme at UKCW will focus on a myriad of topics including skills, social value, business, innovation and regulation, major projects, procurement and housing - complemented by 20 dedicated CPD sessions across the three days, covering everything from Supply Chain Resilience to the Building Safety Act. Seminar highlights include:

Day One:

• Skills: UKCW Birmingham will look at the skills agenda, and on the solutions that have been found by industry leaders, such as Rick Lee OBE, Chief People Person at Willmott Dixon, who was instrumental in securing the RICS Inclusive Employer Quality

Mark for the Tier One Contractor. exhibitor slots already taken, UKCW Birmingham is on track to be the biggest and best yet.

Designed to connect the whole supply chain and be a catalyst for growth, UKCW Birmingham is the must-attend construction event this Autumn and is expecting around 25,000 attendees.

The 2022 show has an even stronger emphasis on future development in the industry and this year’s theme is Celebrating Culture Change in Construction that will be present throughout the show, which is backed by all the industry’s leading organisations, including AICO, Bosch, Hanson, Northgate and Quadrant Building.

• Social Value: Ann Bentley, Global Board Director at Rider Levett Bucknall, and board member of the Construction Leadership

Council, has led the way on bringing about behaviour change and unlocking social value through changes in the construction process. She will give her reflections on the launch of the value toolkit and what it can do for the sector.

Day Two:

• Business, Innovation and Regulation: Including the new Building

Safety Act, the ongoing digital revolution, and the challenges facing the supply chain brought about by the pandemic and war in Ukraine. • Economic Outlook: What does the economic outlook for the sector look like? Top economists Professor Noble Francis,

Economic Director at the Construction Products Association, and Tom Hall, Chief Economist at Barbour ABI, will offer crucial information for those planning the months ahead.

Day Three:

• Major projects, procurement and housing: bringing together the solutions from the conference programme to the biggest challenges of the day. These include retrofitting the majority of

UK housing stock, creating net infrastructure, and a look into the regional opportunities in the West Midlands region enabled by HS2 and its satellite projects.

Furthermore, the Careers Centre will offer visitors an array of informative talks aimed at those interested in a career in construction, whether that be graduates, students in further education, or those looking at a career change. To register for UKCW Birmingham for FREE go to  ukcw-birmingham-2022.reg.buzz/pr Follow us on social media  @uk_cw  #UKCW2022

STAND B200

Safety Storage Efficiency

Enhance the Safety, Capacity & Efficiency of your Storage Facility

Manage your timber more safely and more productively using less space with Combilift’s materials handling solutions Our range of electric forklifts combine powerful multidirectional performance, emission free operation and a host of up to the minute technologies to offer the most efficient way to handle long loads up to 12 tonne.

Contact Us Today

To find out how Combilift can help you unlock every inch of your storage space combilift.com

Performance & Compliance

30% of those responsible for fire door safety say they do not fully understand their responsibilities under the Building Safety Act, one of the UK’s leading authorities on fire door safety and third-party certification has revealed.

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Fire Door Alliance’s survey of 1,000 people with responsibility for fire door specification, installation, and maintenance across the UK identified a lack of understanding of fire safety-related responsibilities under the new legislation. Almost one in ten (8%) was unaware how new laws will affect how fire doors are specified. However, in signs of an early positive effect of new legislation, more than half of respondents said they would now ask for more information on product traceability and seek more proof of performance. Helen Hewitt, Chief Executive of the BWF Fire Door Alliance, said: “Our findings clearly show that while the new legislation appears to have had a positive initial impact, there is still some work to be done in disseminating the detail, and building an understanding of how compliance with the law can be met. This must be made an urgent priority for all those responsible for fire safety.”

Growing awareness of fire door certification, but still work to do

The research, published in a new report as part of the BWF Fire Door Alliance’s Be Certain, Be Certified campaign explored understanding and attitudes towards third-party certification of fire doors, which can assist those responsible for a building’s fire safety to fulfil their legal obligations and offer robust proof of a fire door’s performance. While, encouragingly, more than half (55%) of fire doors that respondents had responsibility for are third-party certified, 80% said that end clients, such as building owners and managers, do not require third-party certification. Helen Hewitt added: “Third-party certification provides robust proof of performance and traceability of a fire door’s components, its manufacture and journey through the supply chain. Despite this, there is still no mandatory requirement under Building Regulations for the use of third-party certified fire doors, despite the essential role fire doors play in protecting building occupants from the spread of smoke and fire.” Among those who do specify or use third-party certified fire doors, the primary reason for doing so is to meet and comply with fire safety legislation (47%). 40% said that the reason was to provide traceability of fire door components, manufacture and journey through the supply chain – highlighting a strong awareness of the benefits of third-party certification. However, the research also highlighted major barriers to the adoption of third-party certified fire doors. Over a third (35%) cite cost as the primary reason, while 33% reported a lack of end client demand.

Certification delivers all-important traceability

While end clients typically don’t insist on certification, the overwhelming majority (88%) of respondents agree that the traceability of a complete fire door assembly is important to the organisations they’re working on behalf of. However, less than a third (28%) said they will go as far as to specify third-party certified fire doors to meet their obligations.

“Our latest report, which we’re proud to launch as part of our Be Certain, Be Certified campaign,” said Helen. “Calls for those ultimately responsible for building fire safety to specify third-party certified fire doors as a requirement throughout all UK buildings. Not only will this raise the standard of fire door safety but crucially, it will help protect lives.”

More about the Be Certain, Be Certified campaign at  firedoors.bwf.org.uk/be-certain-be-certified

 The BWF Fire Door Alliance

The BWF Fire Door Alliance is the leading authority on fire door safety. The BWF Fire Door Alliance Scheme (formerly the BWFCERTIFIRE Scheme) was established in 1997 by leading fire door manufacturers to bring the membership management, lobbying and promotion skills of the British Woodworking Federation to support the promotion of third-party certification of fire doors and fire doorsets. The Fire Door Alliance is operated and managed by the BWF, and its vision is that every fire door/fire doorset sold in the UK meets required standards through its service life.

ADOPT AXIL 3000 P+

WOOD TREATMENT TO ENSURE YOUR CONSTRUCTIONAL TIMBER LONGEVITY

Preserve wood natural state Bio-Based wood preservative solution Up to class 3.2 autoclave treatment BPR Approval Wide range colours available

Use biocides safely. Always read the labels and product information before use.

The wood cladding panels of the community hall Place Laherrère in Pau, France, were fire protected with translucent NT DECO flame retardant.

Flame retardant solution with standard conformity for exterior durability

Nordtreat, a Finland-based fine chemicals producer has focused totally on the manufacturing of ecological flame retardants for the wood industry.

“B y using our solutions in wood construction, you can help make buildings safer and better places to live,” say Klaus Goecke, business development director of Nordtreat. “Our products do not contain any harmful chemicals such as halogens, phosphates, boric acids or other, as you can find in many of the often-used flame retardant impregnates. We work with simple, proven and clean chemistry to provide the best possible products safe to handle and making wood products safe to use.” As a young company, Nordtreat had to put a lot of effort in getting the necessary classification and certificates. But from the early moments, the strategy of Nordtreat has been to provide excellent, proven and safe customer solutions for fire protection of wood. So, the resources were allocated to obtain the relevant certificates requested by the different local authorities. “There are still a lot of different approaches, when it comes to building regulations and fire safety in Europe,” says Klaus Goecke. “We need to be flexible and agile.” Nordtreat’s NT DECO is one of the rare flame retardants that is tested against the standard EN 16755 for exterior durability. “By passing the tests determined in this standard successfully, we can guarantee that the use of NT DECO is also safe on the outside of buildings. Hence, many of Nordtreat’s European customers come from the sector in the wood industry that is dealing with façade panelling. “It is an attractive, unique product, one-pot solution, easy to use and decorative.” NT DECO comes in a large variety of different translucent tones. The increasing use of wood in public buildings, like schools and kindergartens, also expands the use of NT DECO in interior applications and adds to the growth in market for Nordtreat. “We offer to the architects and planners the possibility of designing and realising buildings that include visible wood surfaces that contribute provenly to the well-being of the users and at the same time offer the maximum security in terms of fire protection,” says Mikko Tuominen, R&D

The Keravanjoki community centre in Southern Finland has a beautiful wood facade. The cladding and their support structures were fire protected with NT DECO.

Director at Nordtreat. “Using NT DECO as a flame retardant, is an easy and economical way to improve the safety and the appearance of the planned building.” NT DECO improves the reaction to fire class of the treated wood products to B-s1, d0 according to EN 13501 – the general European fire classification standard for materials. In addition to that, Nordtreat holds a variety of different national certificates, attesting the performance and quality of the product in the wood fire protection sector. Nordtreat is a fine chemicals company based in Vantaa, Finland. Nordtreat employs over 30 people in different European countries and is constantly growing. Nordtreat pursues being the leader of the environmentally friendly flame-retardant treatments in Europe. Already today several hundred projects in many different countries have been treated for improved safety and with the beautiful tones of Nordtreat products.

For more information contact Nordtreat  www.nordtreat.com or email  sales@nordtreat.com

If you care about something, you have to protect it

Preservation & fi re retardant treatments for timber

Protection from the elements