How can timber be made more relevant in the government’s drive for off-site construction? In trying to ease the housing shortage, the government is backing modern methods of construction, where the elements of a building are assembled off site and the resulting pods are put together to form the structure. Is our industry ready to be creative about the business potential?

Whether incorporated into schools, housing, hotels or office blocks, timber products and fittings should be a part of the off-site boom.

Volumetric systems are the most common factory-based forms of construction, where room modules are built and pre-finished with the windows, doors, cupboards, shelving and even picture frames in place. Kitchens and bathrooms are the most common pods to be fully finished before supply to site. Pods are used extensively in hotel construction and the concept is now migrating into the housebuilding sector to help counteract the housing shortage.

Director of Innovation in Housing at the Building Research Establishment Keith Ross can see the possibilities. “The prefabricated housing ideas of the mid-1900s began to be revisited about a decade ago. Modern manufacturing methods for both pods and panelised systems, coupled with more efficient site practices, are now offering faster construction than ever before,” he said.

“Within the overall constraints of the housing market there is as much opportunity here as the timber frame industry sees fit to create for itself. Fully finished pod manufacturing is simply an extension of the timber frame concept. If timber frame manufacturers are willing to make sufficient investment, they could move themselves into this expanding market.”

Partnering opportunities

With the current business emphasis on partnership between companies and the profit-enhancing effects it can produce, there may also be scope for a wider range of timber-supplying firms to become involved in the off-site supply chain.

Wood. for good project manager Tony Traynor has worked on creating interest in timber among interior designers. He said: “We are noticing a greater emphasis on pre-finished timber products for such building projects. Although timber is a natural material, designers still don’t expect to see or to have problems with what they regard as defects.

&#8220Within the overall constraints of the housing market there is as much opportunity here as the timber frame industry sees fit to create for itself”

Keith Ross, director of Innovation in Housing, Building Research Establishment

“This attitude is encouraging manufacturers to introduce engineered interior timber products. The clean, light look of interiors created with quality timber products, plus the low energy advantages of using more timber in housing, offers the industry tremendous scope.”

Supply problems

BWF director Richard Lambert sees extensive opportunities for fully factory-finished windows and doors in the off-site movement. Yet he feels there may be other considerations in the supply equation. “Sales are increasing, but with each of our market trend surveys we find a fly in the ointment: manufacturers need a higher level of bench joinery skills in their part of the chain to fulfil increasing demand, yet skilled workers are in short supply,” he said.

“The industry has moved on from the all-round carpenter/joiner able to tackle a variety of tasks. Few people outside the sector appreciate that there’s a difference between a skilled bench joiner and a site joiner responsible for a separate set of processes. To make the most of the business potential, we need to train more of both.”

But on the business potential, he said: “The off-site construction boom gives window and door manufacturers the opportunity to move away from the mass-market commodity image and pricing structure of previous years. Higher specification products, such as complete pre-assembled doorsets and finished windows, give companies an opportunity to sell on an added-value basis.”

Not to be out done, the added-value theme is being enthusiastically taken up at the other end of the sales chain, where builders merchants are looking for creativity from suppliers to enhance their offering to local timber frame housebuilders. Regional director for Buildbase in Scotland Graham Lister is open to suggestions from timber producers. He said: “The established timber frame housing sector in Scotland has led to market maturity on many products. We are now looking to suppliers to come up with higher specification, innovative products to help us distinguish ourselves from our competition – products which enable us to trade up in value.”

Creativity is in demand and will no doubt be on show at BRE‘s OffSite 2005 exhibition next spring. In the meantime, manufacturing your own opportunities – whether to fit in with frame systems, panels or pods – looks like a profitable way forward.