The engineered wood products (EWP) market is never boring.

This year is no exception, with developments including new I-joist products on the UK market, more Landmark buildings featuring stunning use of engineered wood and yet more Continental glulam producers targeting these shores.

“As more and more architects and developers become aware of engineered timber’s uses and benefits, demand is definitely on the increase, particularly in the timber frame market,” said Wood for Good managing director Charles Trevor.

He said EWPs were now making possible timber structures that even a few years ago would have been considered impossible.

One of the most striking recent EWP applications is the Eden Project’s £15m education centre, which features a giant glulam frame creating an arching double spiral. MiTek Posi-Joists were used in the same development.

The big news on the I-joist front, is the arrival in the UK of Steico, a German-based insulation product manufacturer which launched its new venture at Interbuild.

Steico’s product, comprising hardboard as the web and solid timber flanges, is produced at a new Polish factory with a potential capacity of 55 million linear metres. The fact that Steico says it will offer a price competitive product could herald interesting times in the UK I-joist market, which is already widely regarded as having reached saturation level in the national housebuilding sector.

“To get a share of the market you have to do something when you come in,” said Steico spokesperson Heiko Seen. “If you can offer better price conditions and the same service it is something to get the attention of people.”

One-stop shop

Steico is marketing itself as a one-stop shop for the construction industry and will use its wide armoury of products, including softboard insulation, to tempt customers. It also sees big potential in alternative uses for I-joists.

The one-stop shop trend was also an instrumental factor in another new I-joist product – the easi-joist, a metal web offering developed by Scotts of Thrapston and Wolf Systems.

Scotts said the easi-joist fitted in well with its existing trussed rafter and bolted truss offering and comes as the company gears up to supply major new housebuilding programmes in Northamptonshire.

Various industry estimates give engineered joists, including metal web products, a 60-65% share in the residential construction market (in first floor applications).

I-joists have now conquered the majority of national housebuilders and the timber frame sector but the next breakthrough, according to iLevel Trus Joist European operations director James Sweet, was “much tougher”.

“Everyone in the I-joist business has hit a wall because national housebuilders are saturated with either I-beam offering or metal web offering,” he said. “The next level of market opportunity is the small to medium housebuilder.”

Mr Sweet said thousands of these smaller enterprises existed but they build bespoke houses, which can create problems with design capacity. But he believes they will “wake up” to the benefits of engineered floors when they realise they could more easily meet Part L and Part E of the Building Regulations.

Market saturation

Finnforest agrees saturation level has been reached among major players and the target is now second tier builders and timber frame manufacturers, as well as new uses for I-joists.

“The days when the market grew by about 20% a year have gone,” said Mark Baillie, Finnforest’s general manager of building solutions.

Many manufacturers have expanded their production in the past year, including James Jones & Sons’ JJI-Joist division and Palgrave Brown.

“Further capital expenditure programmes, and the introduction of additional shifts on the production lines, have seen sales volumes increase by over 35%,” said Tom Bruce-Jones, director of James Jones Timber Systems.

He said the company’s distribution base had expanded and major UK housebuilders and timber frame kit manufacturers had signed up to long-term supply agreements.

Mr Bruce-Jones also attributed the expansion to the company securing BRE’s Environmental Profiling, which guarantees end users EcoHomes points.

Palgrave Brown has invested £100,000 expanding its PosiJoist production with two MiTek Posi Strut Runner machines. The investment means the company’s Yeovil and Widnes branches can offer integrated roof truss and flooring systems solutions.

Modern methods of construction

Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE) believes modern methods of construction have led to more requests for EWP. But DTE managing director George Watson thought new duties on imported products could have an affect on some I-joists, with Posi-joists perhaps picking up market share.

Meanwhile, you only had to be at Interbuild to detect the bullishness in the glulam sector. European producers were much in evidence and saw the UK as a key growth market.

Long-span specialist Austrian-based Wiehag relaunched in the UK at the show, and aims to repeat its Irish success, while fellow Austrian manufacturer Kaufmann is looking to supply construction projects as well as off-the-shelf product.

Gloucester-based Laminated Wood Ltd declared that glulam had now become a mainstream structural product in Britain. It said the growth in UK glulam suppliers reflected an expanding market.

“I think architects are getting more education about glulam in their training,” said the company’s managing director John Mallinckrodt.

French company Mathis SA opened a UK office earlier this year. “Everybody has to square up to the fact that they are ultimately responsible for what they build,” said George Brennan, Matthis GB director. “People understand that in using steel and concrete they generate a lot of CO2.”

He sees the material becoming more and more prevalent in long span structures. “In Britain, people have had this closed attitude to timber and think of it only on a domestic scale.”

Mathis GB is able to laminate separate glulam arches together to create bigger sections. Its offering includes Colorlam, which juxtaposes different wood species to reinforce the visual effect of lamination.

Finnforest expects big things from glulam. Its recent applications of the material include beams in the main stand of a Dartford football stadium.

“People are very seriously looking at putting timber in place of other materials in much of commercial construction, driven by sustainability and environmental principles,” said Jonathan Stone, UK construction projects manager of Finnforest. “This next 6-12 months is going to see a large impact because people are really starting to understand timber and glulam.”

Laminated veneer lumber

On the LVL front, Finnforest’s Kerto product is being used for diverse projects, including strengthening floors in the Old Leeds Civic Theatre, which is being converted into Leeds City Museum. The ceiling underneath was listed and could not be touched, so all work was completed above.

Finnforest is also involved in the construction of an LVL “Summer Pavilion” in central London for the second year running, following its success in Kensington Gardens last year. The new structure, being built by Unit 2 Architectural Association students, will go on display outside the association’s Bedford Square premises in July.

And if you are about West Smithfield in London during the National Architecture Student Festival, you may see an unusual helix structure of concentric circles made from 75mm thick boomerang-shaped Kerto blocks.

Mr Stone said the company was also supplying other materials, including some steel sections, as part of construction jobs to make life easier for contractors. “I think the market is crying out for that kind of service,” he said.

Panel Agency Ltd of Kent reported that the glulam market was “very positive” and becoming more competitive. It said people were looking at the material for various reasons including aesthetics, fire performance and cost-effectiveness, especially due to rising steel prices.

Even bad news turns out not to be so bad, as in the case of the award-winning Scottish Parliament building when a giant laminated oak beam swung loose from its connecting shoe. The fault lay with the steel bolts.

Meanwhile, the timber connector market is doing its bit to keep the EWP industry up to date with regulations relating to reduced air leakage and sound transference. Simpson Strong-Tie’s CPD seminars and 3D animations are designed to raise quality and safety standards by demonstrating correct installation. The seminars include a 24-date tour across the UK, while interactive models can be viewed on the company’s website.