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Why timber is the answer COMMENT
ADF caught up with Jeremy English of Sӧdra to discuss why he feels timber is the solution to the UK’s housing crisis, and how the material can help architects adopt less labour-intensive, offsite building techniques
What do you see as the main challenges facing the UK housing industry? Government commitments, underpinned by the prospect of Brexit depleting the labour force and an ever-increasing necessity for sustainability, means the housing industry cannot possibly deliver 300,000 new homes a year using traditional building methods alone. The coming years will inevitably see scrutiny turn toward how these houses will be built, how quickly they can be built, and how much money they’re likely to cost. Timber may prove to be the answer that is needed.
So, what’s so special about timber? First and foremost, timber is the ultimate sustainable building material, which is an important asset given this government’s plans to reduce carbon emissions by 3 per cent each year up until 2050. As trees grow, they naturally absorb harmful carbon dioxide,
locking CO2 into the wood rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. Timber’s overall embodied energy is also the lowest of any mainstream building material. This factors in energy expended
ADF AUGUST 2018
through building, production and transportation, typically accounting for around 30-50 per cent of a project’s entire carbon footprint. It takes very little energy to convert trees into timber for construction, for example, while the building process typically requires a fifth of the vehicle deliveries demanded by concrete. Aside from this, its insulating properties make buildings cheaper, greener and easier to heat post-construction. Timber is also lightweight, versatile and easy to handle and install – all of which helps reduce construction time by around a third and typically result in less-expensive building. It does sometimes mean that timber is thought of as a weaker form of construction, but that certainly isn’t true. Timber is remarkably strong and durable, guaranteeing that regardless of speedy construction, there’s no compromise in quality.
How do these qualities help facilitate offsite modular housing?
At a time when the construction industry is under increased pressure to build quickly and sustainably, timber offers an often
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