A group of more than 30 French architects are undertaking a tour of innovative timber building projects in London and the south of England in March.
The trip is being organised by the Nantes-based north-east France timber industry association Atlanbois, which also runs the biennial French timber exhibition Carrefour International du Bois.
The architects are drawn from four regions: Brittany, Poitou Charentes, Region Centre and Pays de la Loire.
Their UK study mission from March 1-4 will start at the Ecobuild exhibition at London’s ExCeL.
Buildings the architects will then visit include London’s multi-storey Murray Grove tower block and the new Bridport House apartment building, both built in cross-laminated timber. They will also take in the Mossbourne Academy, the Savill Garden Gridshell in Windsor Great Park, The Peabody Trust BedZED development, the Diggers House in Brighton, the Downland Gridshell and Bedale School’s Olivier Theatre, one of the biggest green oak buildings in the UK.
“Our architects are particularly interested in the UK’s approach to zero carbon timber construction, carbon footprint calculation and timber building’s compliance with the the Code for Sustainable Homes,” said Atlanbois international business executive Sam Padden.
“They also want to learn about the use of locally-sourced and, particularly, green timber to build very contemporary houses and other buildings. Historically it was used in France, but today it’s very rare. Most construction timber is kiln-dried. The use in building of what we would consider fuel wood from coppices is also somethng they’d like to see. It’s very much a look and learn trip for them.”
