44 | Sector Focus: Timber Construction
SUMMARY
■An estimated 9% of new homes in England are built from timber
■Embodied carbon targets are increasingly common in construction
■Approved Document L 2021 requires every new home to be tested for airtightness
■High performance overlays are a proven way to provide fast and effective weatherproofing
OVERLAY OPENS OPPORTUNITIES
Brian Adams, senior director of international business at US surfaces specialist Arclin,
looks at how timber board manufacturers can capitalise on the burgeoning timber frame market by adding value to products through the use of a performance overlay
It goes without saying that timber is an incredible building material. As well as being renowned for its strength, durability, and high levels of insulation, it has low levels of embodied carbon. As a result, the government published the ‘Timber in Construction Roadmap’ to grow more trees and unlock the potential of this construction material. Scotland is arguably at the pinnacle of timber frame housebuilding in the UK, with 92% of homes being built from the material.
In comparison, just 9% of new homes in England are built from timber. But that has to change, and it has to change fast. Embodied carbon targets are increasingly common in construction and while there are no legal limits yet, they’re anticipated. Properties built using timber can contain up to 60% less embodied carbon than those built using traditional methods, so it makes sense that volume housebuilders are making the switch from bricks and mortar to timber.
Barratt, for example, has announced the construction of a new £45m timber frame factory, which it says will help it meet the government’s new energy efficiency, low waste-focused Future Homes Standard (FHS). Taylor Wimpey is investing in a fully automated new timber frame plant, and Persimmon has recently secured planning permission for a new facility for its Space4 timber frame division, which will be the largest of its kind in the UK. This is reinforced by the report we commissioned from analysts AFRY, which showed the ‘addressable market’ in Europe for OSB, plywood and SIPs for timber frame construction will rise from 35 million m2 annually to 50 million m2
in 2025. The
greatest potential is seen in the UK, with a current addressable market of 13 million m2
.
So how can board manufacturers add to their portfolio to support this growing market? The key is to ensure their products can address the needs of housebuilders – and to do this they need to understand the issues they’re facing.
Above: Timber frame walls and roofs, SIP systems and cassettes are delivered to site with Arctek Dryshell already in place
TTJ | July/August 2024 |
www.ttjonline.com
Housebuilders need to deliver homes in volume during a growing skills shortage – without compromising on quality. Changing legislation requires them to improve the performance of the homes they construct, delivering greater levels of thermal performance, energy efficiency and acoustic performance.
At the same time, legislators have also
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