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‘Using structural timber as a way of creating a secure building envelope is an effective way of helping current and potential clients to meet their environmental targets’


toxic and naturally renewable building material, timber is the most sustainable form of construction. In addition, the carbon dioxide produced in both its transportation and manufacture is absorbed by the tree during its lifetime. By comparison, the production of concrete and steel accounts for around eight per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, due to its carbon intensive production processes. In the longer term, buildings with secure envelopes are also


the perfect fit with the low carbon agenda currently being pursued by national, regional and local governments. This includes the modifications to Part L of the Building Regulations, which require new build homes to be six per cent more efficient than under current regulations, with nine per cent uplift in the efficiency standards of non-domestic build- ings. A new fabric energy efficiency target has also been intro- duced as part of these regulations, which timber is ideally


positioned to meet. Although a number of these regulations are currently in flux and will be liable to change, utilising timber at its optimum can ensure that clients are ahead of the curve. Without a doubt, timber delivers sustainable and energy effi-


cient solutions – low embodied carbon, a choice of insulation performance, minimal waste, speed of construction, solutions without needing renewables, and off-site manufacture in a quality controlled environment. As the price of energy contin- ues to rise, a building’s operational performance will inevitably become something that consumers will focus on more. It is strongly believed that this will lead to a significant increase in the use of timber across all sectors and encompassing hybrid solutions, such as CLT, SIPS and glulam. When consumers start to demand energy efficient homes, the envelope of build- ings will come into focus like never before, and that’s something we must all be ready for.


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