2023 has been a challenging year in spells, from high-interest rates and the cost of living crisis, to the announcement of net zero delays from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which threatened to derail progress and investment made across all industries. However, the importance of driving towards net zero cannot be ignored and, as such, the Structural Timber Association (STA) has been working hard as part of the Timber in Construction (TiC) Group.
Collaboration across the industry is paramount, and for too long we were driving toward the same goal but in an unco-ordinated fashion. The TiC was set up to help combat this.
The TiC is a joint government initiative, run by the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Forestry Commission, along with industry representatives from the STA, Timber Development UK (TDUK) and Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor). The group is chaired by Defra, and also includes minister Trudy Harrison as government representative.
The TiC was set a task to identify significant actions that should be taken by the government to safely increase the use of timber in construction. A major target for the TiC has been the Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap, which is structured around seven key themes; demand, supply, building safety, labour and skills, carbon, insurance and innovation. Each of these themes will be explored in more detail in the roadmap, outlining where barriers exist in the expansion of timber in construction and the solutions that the government and the wider industry should look to implement. It is hoped the roadmap will be published this November.
STA, TDUK and Confor support the TiC by providing research and data to help address the impact that timber can have on the reduction of CO2. Additionally, this sub-group speaks in parliament to promote the increased safe use of timber in construction.
In light of further collaboration, the STA and TDUK have signed a memorandum of understanding to help grow and develop the timber construction market. Under the terms of the agreement, the two parties have agreed to form a partnership in order to co-operate on technical projects to further the development of timber design and construction as well as on policy-related communication matters.
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC), of which I am a part, published its CO2nstructZero Performance Framework as a means of measuring progress on achieving Net Zero across the industry. Two key themes of this framework are modern methods of construction (MMC) and the importance of becoming a world leader in designing out carbon. Maximising use of MMC is crucial, as it improves onsite logistics, cuts waste and reduces transports to site. It will be a key tactic to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions in the industry, also offering benefits relating to quality due to the higher degree of accuracy with offsite construction.
The second key theme from the CLC framework was the significance of becoming world leaders in designing out carbon; developing the capability of designers and construction industry professionals to design with the circular economy in mind, while shifting commercial models to reward measurable carbon reductions.
2023 has been a year with significant progress, and despite challenges, which seem to be par for the course over recent years, the continued industry collaboration supports the drive for safely increasing the use of structural timber through one co-ordinated voice.
