Last year a new £690m ‘Key Worker Living’ programme was launched by the deputy prime minister John Prescott to help solve the growing accommodation problems of key workers. This initiative – which highlighted the need for quality housing that could be constructed using methods that were fast, cost-effective and accurate – resulted in a sharp increase in demand for timber framed flats and houses constructed from factory-made modular pods designed to slot into place on site.
Low-rise timber framed buildings have gained significant momentum over the years and are now the fastest expanding method of construction in the UK. However, multi-storied timber framed buildings, immensely popular in the US and Canada, have made a comparatively slow start in the UK. Fortunately this is now changing as the market sees the speed of construction, versatility in design and strict control in manufacturing procedures to reduce site construction time that come with timber frame.
Perhaps more importantly, previously perceived concerns about structural stability and fire resistance are being dispelled as the market comes to understand that such buildings are required to comply with strict guidelines and regulations in the same way as their traditional counterparts.
Government initiatives have heralded a major new opportunity for the construction of multi-storey timber framed buildings – it’s vital that we continue to educate the public about the superb benefits such buildings offer and the building and safety regulations that they meet.
