The new Centre for Timber Engineering (CTE), part of Napier University‘s School of the Built Environment in Edinburgh, is seen as filling a vital and long-lamented void in the UK timber industry’s training and research portfolio. At the same time, it has come to represent the huge catalytic impact of the Scottish Forest Industries Cluster (SFIC), without whose backing the CTE might never have got off the drawing board.
Officially opened in January, the centre is working towards becoming the only British establishment to offer academic courses aimed at training undergraduate engineers in the uses of wood. It will also tackle strategic and applied timber-related research, as well as the lifelong learning needs of those employed in the timber sector.
The CTE’s first director is Professor Ban Seng Choo, a man with 30 years’ design, construction and academic experience in structural engineering. He believes the CTE concept had been circulating within the industry for as long as 20 years, “but it was the Cluster that provided the catalyst to make it a reality”. Prof Choo took up his new appointment in early January, having previously been reader in structural engineering at Nottingham University’s School of Civil Engineering. He has been armed with a five-year budget of £2m, including contributions from Scottish Enterprise, a highly-enthusiastic Napier University and £400,000 worth of funding from the timber industry itself.
Understandably, the focus in the first few months has been on infrastructure development, although there has also been practical progress towards identifying specific research topics and meeting a widely-perceived need within industry for more timber ‘technicians’.
Teaching company schemes
The CTE facilities extend to four offices, a meeting room and a large laboratory for experimental timber engineering work. An attempt has already been made to top up the CTE’s coffers by lodging a bid for £1.4m from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. If successful, some of the cash will be used to establish a temperature- and humidity-controlled room to store and test timber specimens. “Temperature and humidity are critical for wood and form part of test standards, so this would be a valuable contribution to our activities,” said Prof Choo.
To date, the laboratory resource has attracted two teaching company schemes (TCS) – involving JJI-joists for James Jones & Sons Ltd and lifting of roof trusses for Oregon. At least three other firms are interested in going down the TCS route and using the laboratory facility at Napier, while interest from other parties would also be welcomed, said Prof Choo.
In terms of personnel, Prof Choo is assisted by administrator Joanne Astbury and by consultant engineer Ian Stewart, who arrived in May after having previously been at Bangor University and TRADA. Research engineer Daniel Ridley-Ellis and two assistants are being employed specifically to develop continuing professional development material. The team reports to a management board headed by James Jones’ managing director John Kissock, which in turn looks to an advisory board chaired by Paul Marsh for additional strategic guidance.
The CTE is also assisted by Peter Wilson at Manifesto, a group whose aim is to promote Scottish architecture. His input is expected to be visible mainly in the production of high-quality publications. In addition, noted Prof Choo, the CTE is hoping to appoint visiting professors “to help us in teaching or to contribute to our research activities”.
In terms of identifying specific projects for the CTE, key pointers emerged from the SFIC Leadership Group visit to New Zealand in February and from the Cluster conference at Crieff in March. The NZ trip highlighted an apparent lack of knowledge of Scotland’s main species, sitka spruce, compared with the wealth of data available in New Zealand on radiata pine. Possible means of filling this perceived information gap emerged during the Crieff conference, where the topic formed the basis of a workshop session.
“At the conference, we found out that Norway was doing work on sitka and would be happy to collaborate,” said Prof Choo. “Also, the Norwegian Consulate has said it would like to facilitate timber research link opportunities between Scotland and Norway.” In June, a reception at the Norwegian Consulate in Edinburgh is due to be followed the next day by a meeting at Napier University involving researchers, industrialists and government/funding bodies “to discuss possible collaboration on sitka research and to enable the industrialists to see if they can dovetail on any opportunities”.
The CTE’s director points to the EU-funded Marie Curie scheme as a possible source of funding for sitka-related knowledge and technology transfer between Norway and Scotland. In a similar vein, a meeting scheduled for mid-June will aim to devise a list of research topics to put to organisations that may be willing to provide funds. The CTE is already exploring an involvement in the design and specification of external timber cladding suitable for Scottish conditions.
Degree courses
The early months of the CTE have also brought rapid progress towards the introduction of three-year BSc and four-year BSc Honours courses in civil and timber engineering, starting this autumn. Final validation of the course was received in late April and a number of applications have been received for the first intake. The course includes specialist modules in timber – including timber design to the increasingly important Eurocode 5, which appears likely to replace British Standards in this area. Prof Choo commented: “There is not a degree course aimed specifically at timber engineers that we know of in this country. A civil and timber engineering degree from Napier University will enable a graduate to become an incorporated engineer although it will not lead automatically to chartered status.”
Prof Choo emphasised that timber companies have an important role to play in the success of the venture. “We want to attract sponsorships for people to come on to the BSc course,” he said. “It is important that industrial concerns show an interest in the student and we have already got positive feedback from companies.”
The CTE has produced an information sheet highlighting the benefits of sponsorship. Advantages include: access to “well-motivated, intelligent and enthusiastic young people”; increased awareness of a company among potential quality employees; and less risk in future recruitment. The minimum recommended bursary for each year of sponsorship is £5,000.
Looking further ahead, the CTE has formed a committee and task force to assess the scope for an MSc in timber engineering, which could be a joint venture with another academic establishment. It has to be decided whether the course will focus exclusively on timber or also on management modules borrowed from the existing portfolio at Napier University. Prof Choo said the first MSc intake could be as early as October next year.
An enthusiastic man of ideas, Prof Choo recognises the need to help devise an effective response to Eurocode 5. “Engineers need to be clear on the practicalities and the philosophy of the Eurocode,” he said. “I would also like to see something other than just the lecture and notes approach, such as support via the internet so that students can ask questions after the lecture.” In addition, he wants to develop uniform publicity and PR material, as well as devise easy-reference course information that is attractive and useful to students.
In common with all academic and research establishments, the scope of the CTE’s activities will be subject to financial constraints. But as Prof Choo pointed out, there is no “closed door” where funding, sponsorship and CPD/research assistance are concerned. “It is open to any organisation or individual who wants to get involved,” he said.
