Summary
• Timber solutions are being specified for CSH projects.
• Pasquill’s portfolio includes a range of engineered products such as LVL, I-joists and smartroof.
• It is working with companies, such as Velux, to provide new solutions.
• Pasquill is looking at new roof products.
There’s a quote on the Pasquill website that reads “when it comes to sustainability, our actions speak louder than words”. It’s a phrase that’s at the heart of the Pasquill business, a company renowned for its engineered timber solutions and for developing products that tick the sustainability boxes.
Take the smartroof roof system which Pasquill produces and which was used in the Barratt Zero Carbon Green House. It can be installed in hours and provides a thermally-insulated envelope, cutting heat loss and therefore carbon emissions.
With the government demanding that all new homes are carbon neutral by 2016 and the Code for Sustainable Homes setting minimum standards for sustainability, Pasquill managing director Stuart McKill is very aware that it is solutions like smartroof that will increasingly be needed by housebuilders to hit the various targets.
“We’ve been involved with a number of projects that are, to some extent, ground-breaking with regards to Code Level 5 and 6 as well,” he said. “So there’s no doubt that it is starting to have a significant impact on how we look at engineered products and how they might be part of the solution going forward.”
Of course, timber, he said, benefits from being naturally sustainable. “It ticks a lot of boxes,” said Mr McKill, “and there’s a significant opportunity for growth because, in relation to the type and style of buildings that we’ve seen to date, those that reach the higher values of the Code are using timber solutions for the key components.”
Comprehensive portfolio
Pasquill’s engineered wood portfolio is pretty comprehensive. It includes glulam, LVL, spandrel panels, I-joists and MiTek’s Posi-Joist metal open web system, as well as smartroof. In fact, said Mr McKill, much of the company’s recent activity has been around roof solutions. “We’re seeing the development of panelised roof systems in particular gathering pace, based on the advantages of speed of erection and the fact that it’s manufactured offsite as a completed component,” he said. “And, while we’ve been working with the smartroof product, we’ll probably bring some alternative roof solutions to market in the next six months or so.”
The company has been working alongside companies like Velux in terms of room and roof daylighting solutions, an area that Mr McKill expects to grow. With Saint-Gobain as its parent, Pasquill also has opportunities for alternative glass solutions and glass panels that could be incorporated within some of its roof solutions. “It’s an exciting time because I think there’s a possibility to change the shape, performance and expectations of roofs.”
In terms of floors, using I-joists and Posi-Joists, the company has been looking at sound and noise transfer, alongside insulation values. “With things like ventilation and heat recovery systems, products such as Posi-Joist offer a very good solution to deal with the ducting and services,” said Mr McKill.
Distribution
When it comes to distribution, the company is working with national housebuilders, with regional and local developers, and also with specialist contractors on some commercial projects. And, of course, it is working in the merchant sector. “We’re fortunate in that we’ve got quite a number of levers to pull on, and in terms of product opportunity and product development, it gives us a lot of business avenues as well,” said Mr McKill.
He also believes that, as people look to deliver higher performance products and various innovative solutions start to come to market, that a number of products are moving from a development phase to an adoption phase, with roof panel solutions being one example. “We will look very closely at a lot of the innovative solutions in terms of research and development, as well as creating and improving on some of the products that are available, whether that’s the product qualities or adding some point of differentiation, such as incorporating solar or glass solutions or other materials within the fabrication.”
This will be a key area of development for Pasquill, although Mr McKill also expects innovation around flooring solutions like I-joists and Posi-Joists, as well as roofs and wall solutions. “The future for our business, and engineered wood as a whole, is very exciting,” added Mr McKill. “It’s really about how fast we can go and how we utilise the opportunities that are available to really deliver some innovative solutions.”
