The UK housebuilding sector faces numerous challenges, at a time when the government has set an ambitious target to deliver 1.5 million new homes during the next five years. Timber frames are increasingly being recognised as a practical solution to these issues. Here’s a look at how timber frame companies are helping to meet these challenges.
Reducing construction time
Timber frames are manufactured off-site in controlled factory environments, reducing the often frustrating delays that can affect on-site construction methods, such as adverse weather conditions, delivery delays, and labour shortages. They are also lighter and quicker to work with during the on-site construction stage.
This minimises overall project delivery times and helps housebuilders to meet their targets.
Meeting sustainability goals
The effects of global warming and climate change are at the top of the political and environmental agenda for the world’s governments. For example, the UK government has a target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The advantages of timber as a sustainable and low carbon building material are becoming more widely recognised, and the government has put strategies in place to increase the use of timber in the UK construction sector. This includes supporting more domestic forestry schemes that can supply responsibly managed timber to the homebuilding industry.
Timber is not only renewable but can actively lower carbon emissions in the environment by acting as a carbon sink, both in forestry and buildings. The shorter construction period that is associated with timber frame projects also reduces the amount of carbon related emissions from transportation and plant machinery.
Design quality and flexibility
Timber frames are manufactured in a controlled environment, with more opportunity for quality control and machine assisted labour. This raises standards of quality and accuracy, reducing the risk of human error, leading to less wasted time and resources or substandard building work that may not be safe or adhere to the relevant regulations.
Timber is also a versatile material that is not only aesthetically pleasing and very strong, but can also be adapted to a range of styles and the demands of clients, architects and planners.
The Structural Timber Association launches a guide for housebuilders
Meanwhile, the Structural Timber Association (STA) has released a new guide to support those working in the housebuilding and construction sector. It is designed to help contractors and builders adopt structural timber build systems and includes information on key subjects and evidence of the commercial viability of using timber.
The guide is launched to coincide with the government’s announcement that housebuilding schemes will receive an additional £3bn of funding to support the construction of 1.5 million homes during the next five years. This is in addition to the £5bn investment in housing that has already been pledged by the government.
The STA’s guide will emphasise the advantages of using timber frames and structural timber over masonry construction methods. This includes the fact that timber frames are usually much quicker to construct, sometimes by as much as 50 per cent. Furthermore, the weatherproofing process can be over two months shorter with a timber frame house.
Alex Goodfellow, Chief Executive Officer of Donaldson Offsite and Board Member of the STA, said:
“We’ve worked collaboratively as an association over the past few years to demonstrate why the construction industry should transition to using structural timber, but more specifically, how this can be achieved in a way that not only provides significant benefit to their business but also to the environment.”
“The Guide to Commercial Viability demonstrates those benefits which relate to commercial value and rationalises how much time and money can be saved when compared to traditional building materials and methods. This is an incredibly useful playbook for housebuilders, and we see it as a great resource for the industry.”
Timber frames are set to play a central role in the future of modern housebuilding and commercial construction, as they provide a sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost and time effective solution to current pressing challenges faced by the construction industry.