Summary
• Timber frame now accounts for more than 22% of all new housing.
• The market for commercial timber frame buildings rose by 28% in 2007.
• Timber frame industry turnover rose to £601m in 2007.
• The UKTFA will shortly be publishing fire safety recommendations.

Among the economic doom and gloom of recent press headlines, one good news story has been the continued growth of the UK timber frame industry.

Let’s take a moment to look backwards at 2007 before we cast an eye to the future to see whether this good news can be sustained.

The UKTFA’s interim market statistics (which are based on data provided by our members from all parts of the UK) show that in 2007 the market share for timber frame construction rose again for the ninth consecutive year. From a market share of just 8.4% in 1998, timber frame now stands at more than 22% of all new housing.

In contrast to the overall decline in housing starts last year (predicted to be about 4.4% lower than 2006), timber frame home building is estimated to have grown by 3.3% in 2007.

More than 54,400 timber frame homes and commercial units were built. Timber frame housing of up to two storeys increased by 11%, while there was a 28% increase in the market for timber frame commercial buildings. Adding the value of commercial timber frame construction to housing, industry turnover in 2007 increased to £601m, up 10% on 2006.

All this speaks very clearly to us: the timber frame industry in the UK has shown its strength, resilience and maturity in 2007.

But what about the 12 months ahead? Looking at the prospects this year for the timber frame industry, I suspect it’s going to be a tough market. There is no doubt that volumes are lower – particularly in the housebuilding sector, where most commentators are predicting something like a 30% reduction in starts.

Market growth

Interestingly though, despite a difficult time for homebuilding and the housing market, timber frame manufacturers – through the aggregation of their own forecasts – clearly believe that the market will continue to grow in 2008 and beyond.

I believe this confidence is well placed, largely because the drivers for growth are still there.

For example, opportunities are still arising from timber frame’s ability to comply with, and often exceed, the current and future requirements of Building Regulations and the low carbon aims of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

The NHBC Foundation research report into zero carbon homes recently put some statistics against this point. It showed that, while housebuilders are open to considering relatively new technologies and modern methods of construction, they are most likely to use existing and established technologies when actually building high level Code homes. More than half of housebuilders who responded to the research said they would be most likely to use timber frame.

Most people now believe the popularity of timber frame will continue to grow because of this ability to offer home builders and developers cost-effective compliance with these requirements.

Also, at a time when costs are being slashed and margins squeezed tight, the highly integrated nature of the timber frame supply chain, its increased output for lower cost, and its ability to cut out inefficiencies and defects make timber frame construction a very attractive option to housebuilders concerned about quality.

Indeed, I suspect the Office of Fair Trading report due out later this year will put the spotlight firmly onto quality issues again, and offsite construction methods like timber frame could get another boost in 2008.

Cost and quality

But to capitalise on these opportunities, two things are going to matter above everything else: cost and quality. We can’t separate these. We will forfeit market share if our high quality product is simply unaffordable. But we could also be the most cost-conscious supplier in the market and still lose customer orders because people fear the quality controls are not there.

At the moment there is little cost difference between the mainstream methods of construction – timber, steel and masonry. So the big issue will be to convince developers that timber frame is as good as it seems and really does deliver the benefits we promise.

One way of doing this is through a robust quality assurance scheme. Frankly, using timber frame manufacturers who have achieved the UKTFA’s Q-Mark or Q-Mark Plus accreditation is the only recommended route.

The UKTFA is also a strong advocate for a qualified workforce. We’re working towards thee day when all developers and contractors will only use UKTFA-trained and accredited erectors carrying CSCS cards.

Another way we demonstrate genuine quality in our industry is the way we are seen to address concerns and offer advice on best practice.

Fire safety

One illustration of this is the work we’ve been doing on fire safety. For many months, the UKTFA and wood for good have been working with specialist fire consultants and experts from the HSE and fire authorities to look again at what is needed to help reduce the risk of fires on sites under construction.

The consensus has always been that such fires are not a Building Regulations issue. But they are an issue about site safety, security and professional site management during the build stage. In this respect there is little doubt that timber frame demands the highest standards if the full benefits of this method of offsite construction are to be realised.

Within the next few weeks the first phase of recommendations of the expert steering group will be published, focusing initially on ways to avoid the outbreak and spread of fire in uncompleted buildings.

Expect to see a raft of common sense measures to ensure secure and tidy sites with appropriate access.

The group is also likely to recommend options for specifying containment measures on timber frame projects whenever this is required following the outcomes of the client and architect’s fire risk assessment.

Vertical containment

Vertical containment measures within timber frame buildings are considered to be one of the most logical and practical solutions for high-risk sites once all the usual site security, fire detection and suppression measures have been exhausted. For smaller or low risk sites the general good housekeeping and standard approach is more appropriate and proven in practice.

Obviously all building sites are vulnerable to risks. And while offsite methods of construction tend to lead to lower risk of defects simply by virtue that they are precision engineered and put together in a controlled factory environment, any lapses in quality on site are just as serious as on traditional brick and block jobs.

So it’s right the timber frame industry is taking a lead on these things. We are focused on quality. We are focused on customer service. And we are focused on helping our clients to get a strong grip on the Construction (Design and Management) health and safety regulations, good site management and security.

This will benefit all construction projects, not just timber frame sites, and will ensure continued success of timber frame even in the harshest market.