A range of timber materials has been donated by Södra Wood to support an award-winning timber workshop at London Metropolitan University. The annual award-winning workshop for the School of Architecture takes place in February each year, with Södra serving as a 2019 sponsor. “We’re really pleased to be able to
Promoting timber’s health and wellbeing benefits is the focus for Wood for Good’s next Marketing Summit on 12 March at CILIP in London. Christiane Lellig, Wood for Good campaign director, said: “The Summit is an opportunity to pinpoint how we can position, develop and market timber products within the health
A purpose-built timber salt farm in Croydon has been delivered by GRAHAM to support the council’s highways maintenance duties during the winter weather. The firm’s Facilities Management Team redeveloped an ageing asbestos barn at Factory Lane into the new facility over a 10-week programme. “The project was completed within the
Metsä Group and Business Finland are joining forces in building a wooden Metsä pavilion to be used in Tokyo during the Olympic games. The pavilion will be built on the grounds of the Finnish Embassy in the centre of Tokyo, Japan. The Metsä pavilion offers multifunctional facilities which lend themselves to
A new publication focussing on collaboration in the design of innovative timber buildings is to be launched at Futurebuild this March. ‘Timber Design Pioneers’ is published by TRADA (Timber Research and Development Association) and supported by the timber industry’s campaign, Wood for Good. The launch will take place on Wood
WoodFest comes to Sheffield in February with a focus on health and wellbeing, low carbon, circular economy, building performance, offsite construction and modular design. The month-long event will feature wood in design and construction throughout Sheffield and Yorkshire. The programme includes an exciting line-up of events, seminars, exhibitions and challenges
The leading London timber specialist Fulham Timber has been recruited by independent merchant buying group H&B to its ranks. “We are very excited about the opportunities that H&B membership will bring to Fulham Timber,” said Fulham Timber director Will Dobbs. “We are looking to continue the company’s growth trajectory and
Grown in Britain’s latest pricing data for UK grown hardwood is showing across the board value increases for 2018. News of the price growth has been welcomed by Forestry Commission chairman Sir Harry Studholme as “fantastic news” for woodland owners. “Higher prices justify and encourage woodland management, and this management
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP has taken a strong stance on the issue of cladding and forcing the removal and reinstatement of a safer product. For months James Brokenshire has been warning landlords of at-risk properties to get on
The North East will celebrate everything built with wood as the first WoodFest comes to Newcastle in December, with an exciting line-up of events organised by the UK timber industry’s campaign, Wood for Good. WoodFest Newcastle will bring together architects, engineers, placemakers, planners, developers, contractors, politicians and local businesses specialising
A range of timber materials has been donated by Södra Wood to support an award-winning timber workshop at London Metropolitan University. The annual award-winning workshop for the School of Architecture takes place in February each year, with Södra serving as a 2019 sponsor. “We’re really pleased to be able to help with this workshop. Timber is something we are passionate about – it is fast becoming the construction material of choice, enabling quick, versatile, efficient and sustainable construction. It’s brilliant to see the future generation of architects working with wood and getting first-hand experience of the many benefits that it has to offer the construction environment,” said Jeremy English, Sales Director at Södra Wood. As part of the workshop, second year undergraduate architecture students travel offsite to Mudchute Park and Farm, where they get to learn more about working with natural construction materials. “Thank you to Södra Wood for sponsoring our workshop this year, it is something the students really enjoy every year. It is a great way for the students to learn how to work with the materials and gain valuable skills needed for their future careers, and it also allows them to fully immerse themselves in working with natural materials. We are pleased to know that our materials this year have come from a really sustainable timber source,” commented George Fereday, Senior Lecturer at The Cass, London Metropolitan University.
Promoting timber’s health and wellbeing benefits is the focus for Wood for Good’s next Marketing Summit on 12 March at CILIP in London. Christiane Lellig, Wood for Good campaign director, said: “The Summit is an opportunity to pinpoint how we can position, develop and market timber products within the health and wellbeing agenda. “Our previous summit identified the opportunities and challenges for the timber market, now it’s time to look at how we get our products up to speed and ideally ‘healthy material’ certified.” The Summit will be in a workshop format with speakers including Christos Michael from CapitalHolz 100, Colin Wheatley from Medite Smartply and Kevin Underwood from the British Woodworking Federation. Christos and Colin will be sharing their experiences of bringing health and wellbeing to the forefront of their marketing and product development, while Kevin will delve into the results of BWF’s cradle-to-cradle feasibility study for joinery products. The discussion will cover the key issues raised in the previous summit including certification and the practicalities of doing this, identifying sales channels and ideas on how to promote products as healthy. On the morning of the Summit, a workshop with Wood for Good supporters will take place to discuss the next six months of the campaign’s activity. Following both events, attendees are invited to the Building Centre for the launch of the annual Wood Awards plus an opportunity to view the Forest of Fabrication exhibition. Book your space for the Wood for Good Spring Marketing Summit. www.woodforgood.com
A purpose-built timber salt farm in Croydon has been delivered by GRAHAM to support the council’s highways maintenance duties during the winter weather. The firm’s Facilities Management Team redeveloped an ageing asbestos barn at Factory Lane into the new facility over a 10-week programme. “The project was completed within the designated time and to exceptionally high standards. We would like to say that GRAHAM were extremely organised, kept all the deadlines, maintained high standards and followed all of the Council’s policies and protocols. They provided regular updates and demonstrations of their work,” said Croydon Council’s Project Manager for Facilities Management, Kaushai Tripathi. Completed as part of GRAHAM’s ‘Hard FM building fabric planned and reactive maintenance works, and multi-trade planned works, contract with Croydon Council, the £450,000 scheme has a service life of over 30 years. This ensures the long-term storage of salt in prime condition for use around the borough’s road network. “We have enjoyed a long-term relationship with Croydon Council since May 2016. The new salt barn is yet another example of the important work that we consistently undertake in support of the Council’s operations. As the snowy and icy conditions continue to present challenges to motorists and pedestrians, this salt barn guarantees the integrity of the salt that is spread across the borough’s roads network. It is therefore a core piece of infrastructure and we are proud to have delivered it to the very highest standards,” commented GRAHAM’s Operations Director, Gareth Smyth.
Metsä Group and Business Finland are joining forces in building a wooden Metsä pavilion to be used in Tokyo during the Olympic games. The pavilion will be built on the grounds of the Finnish Embassy in the centre of Tokyo, Japan. The Metsä pavilion offers multifunctional facilities which lend themselves to many kinds of events: exhibitions, seminars, celebrations and relaxation. It will serve as a meeting place for Finland’s Olympic team during the Summer Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. The Metsä pavilion is an excellent example of the advantages offered by industrially manufactured wood elements. The building uses Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) products produced by Metsä Wood, part of Metsä Group. Building with Kerto® LVL elements is fast and the lightness of the material enables construction on top of existing buildings, as is the case in Tokyo. Similar elements can be used also in buildings of larger scale. “The pavilion takes advantage of high-quality wood products – which function as a long-term carbon store – in a variety of ways. The pavilion can be transported to the site as ready elements, unloaded, moved again, and re-assembled. This is in line with Metsä Group’s goal to replace fossil-based products with renewable and recyclable materials,” says Mikko Saavalainen, SVP, Business Development, at Metsä Wood. The Kerto LVL products to be used in the pavilion’s construction are ecologically sustainable and efficient in terms of their material. The production process of the materials and elements generates very little waste. The elements will be pre-assembled at the plant of Metsä Wood’s partner company and, thanks to this, assembly on site will be rapid. The architectural design of the Metsä pavilion will be carried out by Helin & Co Architects. The design is based on the Kerto® LVL-based elements freely available to everybody in Metsä Wood’s Open Source Wood service.
A new publication focussing on collaboration in the design of innovative timber buildings is to be launched at Futurebuild this March. ‘Timber Design Pioneers’ is published by TRADA (Timber Research and Development Association) and supported by the timber industry’s campaign, Wood for Good. The launch will take place on Wood for Good’s stand at G50 on 6 March at 4.15pm and is a one-off opportunity to get a copy of the publication in print, while stocks last. Pulling together the most successful partnerships in timber design, the publication shares the lessons learned and obstacles overcome by multidisciplinary teams which produced buildings including the award-winning Cowan Court by 6a Architects, the BREEAM excellent-rated Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care and the award-winning Vortex at Bloomberg’s new headquarters. These particular projects will be the focus of three seminars at Futurebuild offering delegates the opportunity to hear each building’s journey from design to completion from the architects, structural engineers, project managers and technical directors. Each case study explores different approaches to problem-solving and how effective collaboration led to innovative designs for timber buildings. ‘Timber Design Pioneers’ covers key themes such as wellbeing, sustainability, interiors, process, and complex briefs. TRADA’s Membership and Marketing Manager, Rupert Scott, says: ‘TRADA is honoured to collaborate with Wood for Good in producing such an indispensable publication. We hope it inspires others to work together in partnership across disciplines, so that as an industry we can continue improving the quality of our timber buildings.’ Christiane Lellig, Wood for Good’s Campaign Director, shares: ‘This project is as much about inspiring new pioneers in timber design as it is about celebrating innovation and driving change in the way projects are approached and delivered; a kaleidoscope of solutions mirroring the different perspectives in multi-disciplinary teams.’ The timber design pioneers case studies will be available for free download following the launch at Futurebuild. For more information, visit trada.co.uk
WoodFest comes to Sheffield in February with a focus on health and wellbeing, low carbon, circular economy, building performance, offsite construction and modular design. The month-long event will feature wood in design and construction throughout Sheffield and Yorkshire. The programme includes an exciting line-up of events, seminars, exhibitions and challenges celebrating the versatility and sustainability of building with wood, organised by the UK timber industry’s campaign, Wood for Good. Christiane Lellig, Wood for Good campaign director, said: “WoodFest Sheffield promises to offer a fantastic opportunity to bring all those involved with the built environment to explore what can be achieved when we work together.” “Each event is a chance to learn and share about the use of timber in architecture, particularly around health and wellbeing and offsite construction. It provides a platform to discover what’s happening in the region and to be inspired by timber design.” WoodFest kicks off on 7 February with Small Project / Big Challenge, an evening seminar with sustainability-focused Sheffield architects Paul Testa Architecture and Jon Carr Structural Design along with Sheffield University. They will discuss design and structural challenges with examples including the multi-award-winning Hen House. On 8 and 9 February TRADA will run its annual student challenge at Sheffield University for students of engineering, architecture, architectural technology, quantity surveying and landscape architecture. Judged by high profile engineers, architects and quantity surveyors, multi-disciplinary teams will compete in an intense 48-hour challenge to design an exemplary student accommodation predominantly from timber. On 21 February, Sheffield-based consultancy, Ollio, and experts from the Kollider projects will host a healthy building evening seminar along with a networking and drinks reception. A tour of timber door, window and stair manufacturer JELD-WEN’s production facilities will take place at 10am on 28 February. This will offer the chance to see first-hand how timber doors are made in the company’s Sheffield factory, from the timber arriving on-site through to the finished product leaving for distribution. The tour will include a presentation followed by a drinks reception for all attendees. Managing forests in a sustainable way is vital to protect these important ecosystems, reduce the impact of climate change and to preserve plant and animal species for the future. On 28 February, the PEFC (the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) will deliver a lunchtime CPD to explain how to procure sustainable timber and timber from sustainably managed forests. Further events include window-specialist Bereco hosting a CPD session on noise and health in the build environment at their Sheffield showroom. There will be a behind-the-scenes tour with Sheffield timber merchant Arnold Laver including a networking lunch, followed by an afternoon CPD. Visitors will have the opportunity to see their production facilities including roof truss manufacturing and its treatment plant. Striking examples of great architecture and design, such as the Hunt House – featured in The Modern Timber House in the UK book, will offer visits focussed on sustainability and wellbeing within the Sheffield region. This will be followed by an exhibition and further evening event on offsite construction and modular design at The Arts Tower. Keep checking the WoodFest Sheffield web page to book your place, find out more details, confirm dates and see further added events. Partners include: Arnold Laver; Bereco; Constructing Excellence Yorkshire & Humber; Halliday Clark Architects; IstructE; JELD-WEN; Paul Testa Architecture; PEFC UK; Sheffield University and TRADA. Book your place for any of the WoodFest Sheffield events here. www.woodforgood.com
The leading London timber specialist Fulham Timber has been recruited by independent merchant buying group H&B to its ranks. “We are very excited about the opportunities that H&B membership will bring to Fulham Timber,” said Fulham Timber director Will Dobbs. “We are looking to continue the company’s growth trajectory and believe that the competitive buying deals that H&B offers, and its excellent rebate system, will make a real difference to our growth potential as well as our bottom line. Margins are very tight in timber at the moment and being part of H&B’s great deals will offer us the margin protection that will allow us to grow.” A family-owned builders merchant based in Brixton and established in 1984, Fulham Timber turns over more than £12 million per annum. From a branch network in Balham, Brixton, Colliers Wood and Croydon, the company manages to supply a full range of timber and other building materials to local tradesmen, contractors, and the general public. In addition, a thriving saw mill is also being run in Colliers Wood. “We felt we had outgrown our previous buying group and were looking to take the next step. We did a lot of research and after conducting full due diligence, we chose H&B for more than just its great buying; for its flexible and accommodating style. We also believe joining H&B will streamline and improve our buying, especially since we have recently centralised our whole buying process. And we will have access to a broad portfolio of products which will allow us to expand our product offering and improve profitability across a wide range of goods,” added Will. H&B managing director Steve Parkins said that Fulham Timber fitted the profile of the perfect H&B partner – “dynamic, locally strong, and with a real commitment to growth, service, quality, and innovation”. Through its growing membership of independent builders merchants, H&B manages to reach sales of approximately £1 billion a year. It currently has over 75 merchant members, with more than 215 branches, trading in partnership with around 280 suppliers.
Grown in Britain’s latest pricing data for UK grown hardwood is showing across the board value increases for 2018. News of the price growth has been welcomed by Forestry Commission chairman Sir Harry Studholme as “fantastic news” for woodland owners. “Higher prices justify and encourage woodland management, and this management supports future production of this beautiful raw material,” he said. “More than this, well-managed woodlands help plants and wildlife to flourish and store carbon to help tackle climate change. Grown in Britain are doing an exceptional job to develop the market for hardwood timber and realise these benefits.” The pricing data shows UK grown oak sawn timber rose 30% in price in 2018, with strong demand being experienced. Sawn oak is in strong demand due to the weak pound, China buying up French oak and weaker import availability. Prices for millable round oak are also high. Oak reached record prices at the November hardwood auction in Cirencester. Meanwhile, sweet chestnut log prices are up 15-20% and beech logs up by 5-10%, the latter partly due to export business. Ash and oak firewood prices are up around 20-30% and 10-15% respectively. Harvesting rates are rising on an average of 10%. “Buyers may wince at steadily rising prices such as these we have recorded in our latest pricing tables but demand across the world is set to steadily rise and rise and so increases should be passed up the supply chain as it is an amazing substance and should be valued accordingly,” said Dougal Driver, chief executive of Grown in Britain. Mr Driver said by continuing to encourage woodland owners to relook at their woodlands and forests to see the value of the timber they are growing, this will continue to drive up the supply and demand for British hardwood timber. For more on GiB’s pricing data visit here
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP has taken a strong stance on the issue of cladding and forcing the removal and reinstatement of a safer product. For months James Brokenshire has been warning landlords of at-risk properties to get on and remove dangerous cladding. Yesterday Brokenshire announced a change to the housing health and safety regulations to force the landlords to make good these works with no apparent financial risk to the leaseholders. The Association for Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) welcomes the move as it has been lobbying for Government intervention ever since the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Immediately after the tragic fire, ARMA flagged to Government the problem under leasehold as to who would likely pay for the cost of fire safety remedial works and that this could seriously delay remedial works. ARMA has publicly asked for Government loans to be make available and for remediation to be taken into a national programme to avoid such delays as the safety of residents must always be the uppermost concern. Dr Nigel Glen, Chief Executive Office of the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA), comments: “We congratulate the Government for taking this strong approach to ensure remedial works on affected buildings can get under way immediately. People need to know they are safe and able to live their lives. We have always said time is of essence here and work should be completed first and then worry about who pays later. The costs to cladding removal has given many residents grave anxieties and now some headway should start to be made more quickly. “The Secretary of State has said that ‘leaseholders must not pay’. We keenly await details of how that will work in practice given the structure of leasehold. For example, in the case of Citiscape in Croydon, the First tier Tribunal Property determined that the leaseholders were liable for the costs under the terms of their lease. That may well be the case across all the buildings under discussion, depending upon their leases. And where Landlords are not the guilty party re installing the cladding is it fair that they will be expected to pay? Clearly there is more work to be done but this is a welcome and significant step.”
The North East will celebrate everything built with wood as the first WoodFest comes to Newcastle in December, with an exciting line-up of events organised by the UK timber industry’s campaign, Wood for Good. WoodFest Newcastle will bring together architects, engineers, placemakers, planners, developers, contractors, politicians and local businesses specialising in timber to promote the innovative and striking ways that wood can be used in the built environment in the North East. Christiane Lellig, Wood for Good campaign director, said: “The first in a series of regional WoodFests, this as a fantastic opportunity to bring all those involved with the built environment to explore what industry and politics can achieve together. “Each event is a chance to learn and share about the use of timber in architecture, particularly around health and wellbeing and offsite construction. It provides a platform to discover what’s happening in the region and to be inspired by timber design.” The week begins with a behind-the-scenes tour of wood-based materials manufacturer, Egger’s site in Hexham on 10 December. In the evening, Dr Oliver G.F. Jones, architecture professor and expert in human-environment interaction at Northumbria University, will give the keynote speech at a seminar on wellbeing, residential design and healthy homes. Taking place at Ryder Architecture’s home in Cooper’s Studios, Westgate Road, Newcastle, Dr Jones will be joined by a panel of experts including local housing providers and design professionals to explore biophilic design, light, space and air quality among other issues. Offsite construction steals the show on 12 December with an evening seminar debating whether modern methods of construction are the future for homes in the North East. Hosted by Ryder at Cooper’s Studios, an expert panel will explore Home England’s strategic plan incorporating offsite construction and will ask if it’s the silver bullet to deliver much-needed homes. A site visit to the unique self-build home, Shawm House, takes place on 11 December. Designed by Newcastle-based MawsonKerr Architects, the timber home won four regional RIBA awards, a national RIBA award and was shortlisted for Grand Designs ‘House of the Year’ in 2017. This is a rare opportunity to hear the homeowner’s story and experience the house for yourself. Taking place throughout the week is an exhibition at Cooper’s Studios, exploring healthy buildings and driving the design and construction quality agenda through the use of modern methods of construction. The finale for WoodFest Newcastle is the Superwood Conference on Friday 14 December at Northumbria University, hosted by Confor. Looking at how forestry and timber can drive a low carbon economy, the conversation will explore the opportunities for increasing forestry in the North East and the lessons that can be learned from Scotland. Speakers include Paul Brennan, MEP for the North East, Adam James from Ryder Architecture, Councillor Peter Jackson, leader of Northumberland County Council, Dr Dan Ridley-Ellis from Edinburgh Napier University, Beccy Speight from the Woodland Trust, Neil Sutherland from Makar, Stuart Goodall from Confor, Simon Hart from Egger Forestry and Christiane Lellig from Wood for Good. WoodFest Newcastle is organised in collaboration with regional partners Constructing Excellence, Egger, Mawson Kerr, RIBA North East, and Ryder Architecture. Book your place for the WoodFest Newcastle events here: https://woodforgood.com/index/woodfest-newcastle/ More information will be released soon about other regional WoodFests taking place throughout the country in 2019. If you would like to get involved in WoodFest please contact Wood for Good campaign director, Christiane Lellig, at christiane.lellig@woodforgood.com www.woodforgood.com
