Inwood Developments Ltd, Sussex is the latest company to join The Glued Laminated Timber Association. We have three further recent recruits – Core Structures Ltd of Aberdeen; Rotafix Ltd of South Wales; and Simpson Strong-Tie UK. This furthers our ambition to offer a total service in prefabricated open framing construction. Combining excellent aesthetics with reliability, glulam provides a rapid offsite method. Our environmental credentials are immaculate and it is not uncommon to achieve BREEAM Excellent ratings, as for example with the Thie Slieau Whallian Building, Isle of Man, supplied by our corporate member, Lilleheden UK.
The challenge is that if more widely adopted, glulam could provide for a much greater variety of applications. Currently, there is a barrier at around 15% of the total of structural materials in use. Some architectural and structural practices are winning prestigious awards in timber but others still fear venturing. Structures with revealed glulam, as in schools for instance, are a fine market, but neither these, nor the award-winning bespoke buildings such as gridshells and geodesics will provide sufficient critical market mass.
The sceptics fear cost overruns in design time, perceiving a super abundance of alternatives and a scarcity of experienced sub-contractors. We are aware that over-enthusing about diversity may be a promotional weakness. During the installation phase, support dimensions, levels and angles must be just as precise as for a steelwork structure and GLTA members recognise the importance of carrying through their industry and timber engineering design expertise to ensure that each project is completed to the agreed budget and time schedule.
Recent welcome enthusiasm of professionals employed by the major retailers may be annoying the structural steel industry, since “knocking copy” has now appeared! We are not complacent, recognising that prefabricated steel is also light compared with reinforced concrete for example. Its construction time is short and enclosure rapid too, especially with cold-formed steel systems.
An interesting and challenging prospect ensues!
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