Wood products, timber frame and wood processing equipment suppliers all reported an enthusiastic response from visitors to Ecobuild last week.
The three-day sustainable construction show at Earls Court, London, was reported to be on track for more than 30,000 visitors, around 4,000 more than 2008. Exhibitor numbers were up from 500 to around 800.
Rob Samuelson, Jewson marketing manager, reported a “staggering” response to the ZedFactory LandARK prefabricated timber-framed building which his company will be taking to market.
The kit-form building, based on a traditionally wedge and mortice and tenon jointed eliptical white wood frame, is designed by architects ZedFactory as a one to four-bedroom home, a home office or holiday cabin. It is expected to go on sale for around £60,000. All the timber was supplied by Jewson’s fellow St Gobain group member International Timber and it was CNC machined by sister company Calders & Grandidge.
“The reaction from visitors, including architects, designers, contractors and self-builders has been amazing,” said International Timber’s Steve Rogers. “We’ve been run off our feet.”
Eco2build reported a similarly busy time on its stand which featured one of the show’s star exhibits, the Eco2H2Ouse. This is a highly insulated, air-tight closed timber panel, LVL-framed framed home that uses water tanks in its ceiling panels for thermal mass.
“With the Code for Sustainable homes setting new standards for housing construction the market is having increasingly to look at buildings like ours, which is can meet the ultimate Code Level 6,” said Eco2Build’s Andy Wilcock. “We’ve had visitors queuing up to go in the building.”
Sean Parnaby, managing director of wood window specialist West Port, also reported a busy show. As well as having its own stand, the company sponsored the café area near the Timber Works area of Ecobuild on behalf of the Wood Window Alliance generic promotional campaign.
“We’ve been getting a very good reaction to our message that a modern wood window can be highly energy efficient and durable,” said Mr Parnaby. “We’ve been highlighting the fact that we as a company can offer windows rated on energy performance from D right up to A under the British Fenestration Rating Council scheme.”
Machinery specialist JJ Smith, which supplies a range of technology to the timber frame sector, including specialist equipment for cutting SIPs (structural insulated panels) also said exhibiting at Ecobuild was a worthwhile investment.
“It’s definitely attracting the right target audience for us,” said managing director Martin Smith.
