Wood has a seemingly infinite capacity to reinvent itself and the timber trade to adapt its raw material to meet customer demand.
Perhaps the clearest evidence of this recently has been in the engineered wood revolution. New varieties of glulam, LVL, cross-laminated panels and increasingly advanced types of sheet materials are taking timber in fresh directions and opening up new applications. And they’re making an increasing impact in the market place, as is underlined by their high profile use in the fantastic construction projects that won category prizes in this year’s Wood Awards. In fact, this year the judges actually commented on the spread of timber and wood products featured, reflecting growing awareness among architects and specifiers of the range of options open to them and their mounting confidence in using them. Judging panel chairman Giles Downes said it highlighted that timber is “becoming a staple of the designers’ diet…the environmental and sustainable material of choice for architects and their clients”.
We had further evidence that the evolution of timber products continues apace when our news editor Stephen Powney returned from a trip to the offsite construction firm Panaloc brimming with enthusiasm for the virtues of Magnum board, an ultra-strong, laminated sandwich of OSB4. Panaloc makes the product under licence to Kronoply and says it could be used as the sole structural element in buildings up to 10-storeys high.
Our special feature this week also highlights how latest treatment developments are adding to the diversity, versatility and performance of the products the timber sector can offer the market place. The end result should be even greater market share for timber and wood products and an even greater variety of entries in next year’s Wood Awards.
