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Above left: The campus is being hailed as an exemplar of sustainable construction PHOTO: BIRDS I IMAGES Above right: Rory Doak is business development manager at Stora Enso
“One of the biggest benefits for these sites is the reduced transport requirements,” he said. “Everything arrives on site when it’s needed, reducing deliveries by about 70%. We work pretty hard with the design teams to make sure we only send materials as and when they need it.” “A big part of being able to have that kind of certainty on the programme was the ability to incorporate digital 4D BIM to the whole project,” added Ms Shittu-Balogun. “This allowed us to sequence things with a degree of exactness to such an extent that everything was just-in-time – just-in-time delivery and just-in-time for handover. That upfront collaboration through the whole design process, so we knew what was coming when, meant that site logistics were matched to the delivery programme. The 4D planning BIM element was integral to the whole process.” Speaking after the event, Mr Doak said that working with tried and tested partners who were skilled in timber construction generally and CLT in particular had been fundamental to the smooth running of the Northstowe project. And, in fact, it’s key to all projects involving CLT.
“One of the big parts of my role is making sure I am able to connect project teams with the right people coming in,” he said. “Companies like Eurban, who we have been working with for 10-15 years.” And, of course, as CLT construction grows, the body of professionals with the requisite expertise also increases.
“I get emails every day from people looking to get into this kind of construction and for us, as part of the supply chain, it is important to make it accessible with open knowledge sharing.”
That’s why Stora Enso has developed Building Concepts, an online tool that links architectural guidelines to building systems, allowing the specifier to better understand
how to build with wood and find options feasible for wood construction.
Building Concepts focuses in on residential multi-storey, office buildings and schools and also features a reference library and information on life cycle assessments. “If you are building a school or an office we have got a building concept to help take you on that journey,” said Mr Doak. “And we have a global partner network, so if you want to get in touch with someone who has done this before, we can help with that, too. “The reference library shows buildings that have been delivered and the project teams that put them together and I think that sort of transparency in a central place is very engaging,” he added.
As for building schools with timber, Mr Doak said we’re living in a period that is the “sweet spot”. “We [Stora Enso] have been delivering them for over a decade and we know how to do them well. There isn’t a huge premium to pay on them and sustainability is so high on everyone’s agenda that it makes sense to build schools with timber. And right now we have a huge range of competent installers, contractors and consultants.”
Local Authorities and schools’ trusts are also becoming more enlightened as the number of timber schools grows and sets a precedent and the conversations around potentially thorny issues such as fire risk are “short ones”. “Our CLT has been tested in many ways,” said Mr Doak, when speaking at the webinar. “A lot of systems that we have used have been tested across Europe and we’re still working to the same standards as everything else [other building materials]. It’s about using that real data to inform our decision makers going forward. “We are doing all this cross industry collaboration, which is so key as timber
buildings get more complicated. For Northstowe we really relied on our previous testing of the product to prove it worked. “Again, it comes down to experience.
We know the product is safe and we have competent partners, such as Eurban, who know how to specify it and use it in the right way.”
“It’s about applying a risk management and mitigation strategy early in the process, with the right specialist knowledge in the team,” added Ms Shittu-Balogun. “Every building material has its risks related to fire but really it is about the design and engineering of the structure – first of all to stand up but also to keep people safe.”
Maintenance in a busy secondary school was another cause for some nervousness from CMAT and this was countered by reducing the level of exposed timber in the high traffic areas, while allowing it to shine in others. In the SEN building, for example, it was seen that there was a real biophilic benefit to using timber visibly inside the space. Mr Doak notes the fact that Frank Shaw Associates has designed so many timber schools that it is almost the default material now and that Kier Construction is adamant that CLT was chosen to meet the environmental credentials for reductions in noise, dust, construction deliveries and site waste.
“They aren’t looking at it from a timber purist point of view,” he said. “They are looking at the whole thing holistically and what actually fits this project – and for them it was CLT.
“It was super interesting to have a timber webinar where sustainability was only brought up at the end,” he added. “There were so many other benefits to building with timber that we were able to discuss and I think that shows the maturity of the product.” ■
www.ttjonline.com | July/August 2021 | TTJ
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