A revolutionary timber construction technique will enable wooden bridges to be built in situations where previously only steel and concrete would have been considered.

The technique, described as a “world first” by engineer Geoff Freedman who plans to patent the process, involves the use of stress laminated wood, compressed by steel plates and bent into arches.

Mr Freedman said it could be used for bridges with up to 60ft spans, cost half the amount of normal construction methods and provided double the load capacity of normal timber structures. He sees great potential for its use in building footbridges in recreational settings but also for taking roads and vehicles.

A prototype is being tested at Napier University‘s Centre for Timber Engineering and is intended for use in a Cheshire country park. Other bridges are already being earmarked for locations in England and Scotland.

Mr Freedman, a Forestry Commission engineer and Napier PhD student, said the construction method improved the fire resistance and durability of timber and reckoned it could lead to greater use of the material by housebuilders, especially in England.

&#8220None of the pieces of timber act on their own, they perform as a homogeneous piece. This technique can also be used with second-rate wood, it’s the compression that matters.”

Geoff Freedman, Napier University

He also believes the growing volumes of suitable timber being harvested in Scotland over the next 10 years will provide a ready supply.

He said: “None of the pieces of timber act on their own, they perform as a homogeneous piece. This technique can also be used with second-rate wood, it’s the compression that matters.”

Stress laminated timber structures are the first main focus for Innovative Engineering in the Countryside, a group chaired by Mr Freedman and designed to increase timber sales to UK structural markets.