Timber frame construction features in seven of the nine winning entries in the government’s Design for Manufacture housing competition.
The winning designs in stage two of the challenge, which asks the construction industry to design a house with a £60,000 build cost, include open timber panel, closed panel or structural insulated panel building methods.
Successful entries which use a timber solution as part of their plans are Barratt Developments Ltd, Geoffrey Osborne Ltd, George Wimpey UK, William Verry Ltd, the SIXTYK Consortium, the Countryside Consortium and Westbury. The other two entries are Northern Edge and Redrow Plc.
The bidders now have until October 4 to develop their designs further with the aim of winning the right to build 1,000 homes across 10 public sector owned sites. The first sites are in Milton Keynes, Northampton, Maidstone and Leeds.
Dr Ashley Lane, director of Westbury Partnerships, said: “We have ably demonstrated our credentials in terms of design, progressive architecture and modern methods of construction and welcome the chance to put these into practice.”
Seven additonal entries have been commended for their plans, including the Super E Partnership, which is based on Canadian timber frame technology.
