Contractual wrangles and potential disappointment in the performance of timber could ultimately impact on the trade’s sales figures. This has prompted wood. for good to tackle the decreasing depth of technical timber education in architectural schools. The move is welcomed by specifiers as the side effects of this dearth in expertise are now being felt across the industry.
John Fidler, director of conservation at English Heritage and an architect by profession, is acutely aware of the problem: “We are extraordinarily worried about the lack of technical knowledge of timber amongst young architects and building surveyors. Looking back 20 years, the only element of a building which an architect would not design was the lift: we would leave a gap on the plans saying ‘design to be provided by lift manufacturer’. Today, that concept is sadly much more prevalent for other simpler elements of construction, with more of the design and specification being left to the contractor. Design is now taught as an aesthetic concept, not in tandem with the technical and scientific strengths and abilities of the materials.”
Gary Clark, project architect with Michael Hopkins & Partners, feels timber education can be a lottery. “The depth to which timber is covered during architects’ training depends on where you study and the knowledge and enthusiasm of the teaching staff,” he says. “In specifying timber, two key aspects which concern architects today are visual aestheticism and sustainable timber sourcing. Architects work closely with joinery companies to develop designs which they can then take further and interpret in the material, showing it to its best advantage. Architects don’t aim to be joinery experts.”
At the other end of the equation, joinery firms are feeling the pressure exerted by specifiers’ lack of technical understanding. Richard Lambert, director of the British Woodworking Federation, comments: “Our members frequently receive specifications which do not make economic or technical sense. They are often in the position of educating the specifier as to what can actually be achieved within a sensible cost framework.”
An area particularly open to interpretation is the use of ‘sustainable timber’. Richard Harris, senior associate with structural engineer Buro Happold, says: “We have clauses available to add to our specifications, to comply with those clients who wish their timber to come from a certified or sustainable source. The reality is, however, that if difficulties arise in the supply or with the cost, then compromises may be made resulting in the use of timber from less than satisfactory sources. As an industry we need reliable certification schemes, well-enforced on the ground and with credible traceability, backed up by reliable suppliers.”
Martin Fodor is policy development co-ordinator with Bristol City Council’s Sustainable City team. Their specification of timber is much influenced by sustainability targets. “Specifying responsible timber may mean thinking about different species or sources. Our Contract Services Joinery (part of Bristol City Council) has targets to meet on the use of verified responsible timber as there is an established council policy on timber and wood products. Under its environmental management system we must continue to increase the proportion of our timber purchased from sustainable sources. We also have to be able to show an audit trail tracing the timber’s origin so for us FSC-certified timber is the best option to seek and the most trusted.”
Mark Suppel, environment co-ordinator with Horsham District Council, is similarly influenced by his council’s approach to environmental management, but points out the business opportunities for the trade: “We supply copies of our timber purchasing policy to architects and specifiers involved in our contracts, and have gone to great pains to explain why the council has decided to take the FSC route. Just one of the projects with which I’m involved requires around £1m-worth of FSC-certified timber. That’s business for someone, somewhere in the timber trade.”
