I recently attended the opening of the UK’s first Centre for Timber Engineering (CTE) at Napier University in Edinburgh. It was a very significant event on a lot of different levels.
We had the Scottish minister for enterprise, transport and lifelong learning, Iain Gray MSP there, marking the political and economic importance of the event and talking about the part the centre would play in his vision of a successful enterprise culture. We had representatives from across the UK, marking the national nature of the enterprise – and bringing with them connections across the globe. And we had representatives from across the timber “divides” – importers, home-growers, manufacturers, processors, engineers and research bodies.
That one event was sufficiently important to bring together political, academic and commercial interests, all talking timber and partnership, is a milestone for our industry. It marks the way forward. We’ve “talked the talk” – now let’s “walk the talk!”
So what are the implications of the Centre for Timber Engineering for my bit of the industry, the timber frame sector? We have just released our latest market statistics – the first complied on a UK basis – and they show a burgeoning industry, with a 24.5% annual increase in turnover; a 21.4% year-on-year increase in units manufactured; and for the first time in a long time, more units built in England than in Scotland. This creates opportunities for employment, expansion into new markets, development of new techniques and for new partnerships. It also creates challenges for education, training, design, quality and the environment.
It is in meeting these challenges that I see the value of the CTE. It will offer education and training through the Teaching Company Scheme and train degree-level and chartered timber engineers.
The CTE will also provide the applied research base for the development of technologically advanced design and encourage quality through its CPD programme for professionals. Most importantly, it will grow a sustainable market for the only truly sustainable construction material – timber.
