There’s been a lot of talk over recent years about modern methods of construction, off-site construction and now the latest buzzword: “pre-manufactured housing”. The last phrase – coined by Mark Farmer in his influential government-commissioned Farmer Review on housing supply – means essentially the same thing in that it refers to housing systems that are prefabricated in a factory to a greater or lesser degree and then assembled on site.

These systems are coming increasingly to the fore in the UK’s construction industry and represent a large-scale use of timber.

Timber construction systems such as timber frame, cross-laminated timber and SIPs are being specified in greater numbers because of their multiple benefits: a higher level of quality control, greater cost transparency, a shortage of traditional building skills, fast construction, thermal efficiency and the need to deliver large numbers of desperately needed homes.

Whether it be the Farmer Review or the Housing White Paper published in February, the government is recognising the important role that could be played by these systems to help meet its demanding housing targets.

A key Farmer Review recommendation called for “investment in R&D and innovation in construction by changing commissioning trends from traditional to pre-manufactured approaches”.

New entrants to the sector, such as insurer L&G and Swan Housing Association – which have both built with CLT – are providing a new “disrupting” dynamic to the traditional ways of building homes, Structural Timber Association CEO Andrew Carpenter said at the relaunch of the Confederation of Timber Industries last year.

All this raises questions, but also potential opportunities for not only the timber construction sector, but also for contractors, housebuilders and the timber supply chain. It is against this backdrop that TTJ is hosting a roundtable on September 29 before the annual TTJ Awards and is also publishing a Timber Construction Supplement in the autumn.

The roundtable will be attended by an invited group of stakeholders, comprising contractors, timber construction companies, the wider timber supply chain, architects and representatives from the political world. Under the Timber 2020 brand, this first event will look at Housing Needs – Timber Solutions and will debate key points including:

  • UK housing needs and government plans to address the shortage
  • The housebuilding sector’s materials and system supply needs
  • The future of the timber building industry
  • Capacities and potential of the wider timber supply chain

Two companies backing the initiative as sponsors are James Latham and Lonza Wood Protection.

“James Latham is delighted to be supporting what I hope will be the first of many Timber 2020 TTJ Roundtables,” said Chris Sutton, managing director of James Latham.

“With contractors and architects as well as representatives from government and the supply chain involved, we are very much looking forward to being a part of what promises to be an extremely interesting and engaging debate,” he added.

“Timber 2020 is a great initiative and the roundtable provides the perfect platform for some extremely influential people from within the sector to exchange, comment and share their perspective on issues.” Lonza Wood Protection said timber in construction was an important focus for Lonza in Europe.

“Engineered wood products and off-site construction favour the benefits and versatility of wood, and Lonza has both traditional technologies for solid wood protection and non-traditional for the EWP sectors,” said Lonza marketing director Andrew Hodge.

“Lonza offers durability-enhancing and fire protection technologies and with our long-standing engagement with architects and specifiers through our CPD work, we are positioned at the heart of modern construction design and build considerations.

“With the issues facing the housing industry today and the solutions offered by the timber industry, this roundtable event could not be more timely or relevant.”

TTJ’s Timber Construction Supplement will also be distributed in sister magazine and architectural title Blueprint. Another title in TTJ’s parent media company – influential current affairs and political comment magazine New Statesman – is also looking at covering timber construction in its Spotlight on Housing supplements.