It’s that time of year again, the behemoth that is Ecobuild .

There is a tendency to knock something when it becomes so big. And there has been a few comments made in recent years about empty hall space around the edge, Ecobuild being past its peak and that it was more of a general building show compared to its eco roots.

While it’s true to say that exhibitor numbers have tailed off, timber industry representation is reduced, and virtually any company seems to be able to find an ecoangle these days, it’s also fair to say that Ecobuild is probably still the world’s largest sustainable construction show with a lot of interest points to inspire visitors.

The 2014 event attracted 44,538 visitors, 787 exhibitors (2012: 57,000 visitors / 1,500 exhibitors) and held 100+ conference and seminar sessions. Architects and contractors are still among the top visitor categories, and from organiser UBM’s show stats, timber is certainly something many of them are interested in.

Building materials represented the second most popular main product interest area cited by visitors (highlighted by 13,924 people). In this category, "natural materials" was top at 9,012, followed by timber at 8,760, recycled materials (8,575), concrete (6,896), masonry (6,127) and steel (6,117).

Building structures was the sixth most popular main product interest for visitors, with timber top of this category for 7,217 visitors, trailed by concrete (5,736) and steel (5,709).

The building completion area was 16th most popular, with doors and windows second in this category with 3,570, pipped by insulation (3,821). Cladding (3,502), roofing (3,444) and flooring (3,304) followed. Engineered wood products manufacturer LP Building Products is one of the timber companies backing Ecobuild.

"I think Ecobuild is still the premier exhibition for the UK building industry," said Al Huber, LP’s international sales manager (engineered wood products). "We are looking for feedback with some of the products we are launching."

There is a bigger focus this year on LP’s Simply Better branded Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL) stud, aimed at timber frame companies for use as both studs and 29mm thick wallplate applications in multi-storey housing.

The advantage, said Mr Huber, of the LSL Stud over solid timber is the reduced shrinkage in medium-rise timber buildings. "The UK has been a very good market for us, it’s the flagship for Europe."

LP will also be promoting the 225i I-joist and LSL rimboard. "These products are all moving in the right direction and product volumes are increasing."

Another stalwart timber sector exhibitor is I-joist and wood fibre insulation manufacturer Steico.

"We are concentrating on our engineered wood products and the launch of our new LVL factory around August this year," said Andy Moore, Steico UK managing director. "Wood fibre building systems also feature and are growing in popularity year on year. We now have an I-Joist market share in the UK of over 30% and we are now the largest producer in Europe."

He believes Ecobuild is an expensive show to exhibit but says the seminars and conferences are better this year and also well situated on the exhibition floor.

Ecobuild organiser UBM estimates timber market sector players are set to meet this year with almost 16,000 top architects, contractors and sustainable built environment professionals who attend to specify timber for a broad range of uses from structures to interior fittings. It says 85% of the UK’s 100 top architectural practices will attend.

Timber frame, glulam and cross-laminated timber will be some of the eye-catching timber build methods on display.

"The three-day live event will provide over 44,000 attendees with new thinking, innovation and information to encourage a greater use of timber, for the benefit of the built environment, climate and communities within which we live," a UBM spokesperson told TTJ.

"As the upturn in the UK’s housebuilding market puts pressure on materials and skills, the timber industry is set to play an increasingly pivotal role in the delivery of low-carbon homes and commercial buildings."

Timber sector exhibitors

So looking at more detail on timber sector representation, it’s clear that the importer/ distributor/merchant sectors are small on numbers, while there is an interesting mix of structural timber systems providers, specialist product manufacturers and joinery companies.

International Timber, together with its sister operation International Decorative Surfaces, is among the largest timber companies, while engineered timber systems producer Pasquill, and timber frame companies Val-U-Therm and EBS elk Ltd are also exhibiting.

Austria’s Mayr-Melnhof will show its variety of glulam, CLT panels, sawn timber, laminated ceiling elements, three-ply structural panels and concrete formwork technology. Latvia-based Cross Timber Systems, whose CLT factory launches in March, will announce itself at Ecobuild. Russian LVL producer Modern Lumber Technology LTD (MLT) is also looking for business at the show. MLT is one of the biggest LVL producers in Europe, selling the Ultralamtm brand.

The Ultralamtm factory has an annual design capacity 150,000m3 of LVL, which could be increased to 250,000m3.

The company will also start up a new OSB plant in the beginning of 2016 to produce OSB3 and OSB4 boards, with an annual production capacity of 500,000m3.

Among the joinery manufacturers will be Heron Joinery and Rationel Windows, while John Brash and Cape Cod Siding Ltd will fly the flag for timber cladding, as well as other products. The former will promote its computer graded roofing batten brand JB Red and JB Citideck anti-slip decking, plus cedar shingles and shakes.

Cape Cod will display its prefinished wood cladding, trims and colour-matched accessories. The core product, imported by Vincent Timber, has a factory applied twocoat paint finish backed by a 15-year limited coating warranty against peeling, chalking and blistering.

Cape Code is introducing an innovative semi-transparent coating system.

Meanwhile, Saint-Gobain’s Ecobuild attendance also represents a celebration – its 350th anniversary – quite possibly one of the oldest anniversaries in the building products trade. This surprisingly long history is by virtue of its formation in 1665, when it was created to produce glass on an industrial scale for the famous Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, the royal palace of King Louis XIV of France.

Other notables exhibiting include American Softwoods, Belgium-based Atmosphere & Bois (reclaimed timber from old Canadian barns), BM TRADA, FSC UK, JJ Smith Woodworking Machinery and Wolf Systems.