For those of us who’ve been extolling the benefits of timber frame construction for years, it is heartening to see the building industry starting to understand what it is we’ve been going on about.
The industry now places huge emphasis on issues like sustainability, energy efficiency, supply chain management and modular construction. What designers and builders now realise is that timber frame construction fits that agenda.
For many the wake-up call was last year’s introduction of Part L of the Building Regulations. The Regulations now spell out clearly the U-values that are acceptable and it is up to builders to prove that their buildings comply.
Timber’s natural insulating properties led many designers and builders to specify wood for windows, floors and wall coverings, but also to investigate the superior thermal performance of timber frame construction over traditional brick and block. Since the introduction of the new Part L, we have seen a significant rise in the specification of timber products – and timber frame housing – among local authority and social housing clients. Similar interest is expected when Part E – covering noise transmission – comes into force this April.
The building industry is currently driven by a desire to improve efficiency and drive out waste. As a result, many are turning to factory-based construction on the basis that any process carried out in a controlled environment rather than on site will be less wasteful, safer and of consistently higher quality.
Timber frame construction meets all those requirements, putting it at the centre of today’s efficiency agenda. Any form of modular construction also gives designers more freedom to express themselves in the external finishes.
I believe timber frame construction is a market the industry should be pushing – not least because a timber frame house contains almost twice as much timber as its traditionally built equivalent.
