TIMBER
TIMBER "CRUCIAL" TO CARBON REDUCTION
Using timber has been recognised as a crucial route to decarbonising our built environment in a new, landmark report from the Environmental Audit Committee.
T
he Environmental Audit Committee has called on the government to complete a policy roadmap to scale up the use of timber in construction by the end of
2022 – at the latest – warning the UK is already falling behind their EU counterparts when it comes to reducing carbon emissions from the built environment.
Over 14 months of inquiry MPs heard from a wide range of experts on the best strategies to decarbonise the built environment – an area which is directly responsible for a quarter of the UK’s total carbon emissions – at a total of 177 MtCO2e – and strongly influences up to 42%. Their report, ‘Building to net-zero: costing carbon in construction’, warns that despite the commitment of the UK Government to achieve a 68% reduction in the UK’s carbon emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, there has been little leadership from Government on this issue. Evidence from a range of experts, including the UK Climate Change Committee, leading academ- ics, researchers, architects and engineers showed that using timber in place of concrete, masonry, and steel is one of the most successful strategies to reducing embodied carbon in the built envi- ronment. Researchers repeatedly highlighted the carbon saving potential of timber, saying that by replac- ing “a concrete frame and all brick and block houses with timber frame houses, you can reduce embodied carbon by about half,” and highlight- ing the need to grow the skills to support this shift.
The EAC also called on the Government to implement mandatory Whole Life Carbon Assessments, along with a clear timeline and targets for reducing emissions, to help create a push toward low-carbon materials and improve the sustainability of the built environment. Independent evidence supplied to the committee from fire experts, architects, and
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engineering associations showed the post- Grenfell prohibition on the use of combustible materials in external walls has had a disproportionate impact on the use, innovation, and testing of structural timber. A lack of distinction made between the cladding and primary structure within the ban on the use of combustible materials in the external walls of buildings above 18 metres was found to be particularly damning for the industry, causing a ripple effect which has set back all forms of timber construction. Professor Michael Ramage (University of Cambridge) decried the ban noting that modern timber systems can and do deliver sufficient fire resistance within the primary structure, and how ‘one government policy [the ban] is making another government policy [net zero], untenable.’ The EAC called on Government to clarify their May 2020 consultation on the combustible materials ban and respond before the House rises for the 2022 summer recess, saying delays have left the construction industry ‘without the guidance and confidence it needs to invest in timber structures’.
Other actions to be taken now by the
Government to reduce emissions include taking greater action through their procurement policies, supporting the industry to close the skills gaps, and promoting further research into the use of structural timber in the UK. Confederation of Timber Industries chair Alex Goodfellow said: “Timber is already a £10bn supply chain in the UK, which supports 350,000 jobs. It provides economic prosperity in every region of the UK, green employment, thousands of healthy, safe, warm, and beautiful low-carbon homes, and is helping create a sustainable construction industry."
“Right now we have an opportunity. We need to build more homes. We also need to make our existing homes more efficient, and reduce
demolition. Timber can allow us to meet both these needs and rapidly decarbonise our built environment. “By using more wood we can achieve quicker, higher quality, and safer construction, as timber lends itself to modern methods of construction by being manufactured offsite with factory precision, and extend the use of existing building, with light-weight timber structures able to lend additional stories.
“Each time we use timber, it supports growing
more trees. Timber keeps forests standing by incentivising landowners to engage in sustainable forestry, as for every tree harvested and placed on the market, several more trees are planted.” Timber Development UK chief executive David Hopkins said: “One of our biggest roadblocks to making the changes necessary to address climate change is a mindset which perceives the shift to a net-zero economy as down the road, in the future, and reliant upon unproven technologies to decarbonise the industries most responsible for emissions. There is widespread industry agreement that using more timber in place of carbon-intensive materials, such as steel, masonry, and concrete, is the best route to reducing carbon emissions from the built environment." Structural Timber Association chief executive
Andrew Carpenter said: “Our members provide an answer for how to build low-carbon in a climate crisis, as called for in this report. Offsite timber frame construction is an existing, long- established, high-value manufacturing and building method that delivers guaranteed quality, precision-engineered components. A large bank of data is out there already which shows how timber behaves in fire and demonstrates its safety, so while we welcome further funding for testing, we should not lose sight that timber frame systems are already an economic, high quality and safe solution to modern construction.” BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net June 2022
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