The softwood processing sector in Great Britain has been built around the use of a very small number of timber-producing species – predominantly Sitka spruce. The recent increase in outbreaks of host-specific tree pests and diseases has led to an interest in diversification, through planting a wider range of tree species, to mitigate any risk to the softwood resource. However, there is a lack of evidence about how this diversification will impact on the future merchantability of timber. This Research Note investigates the structural timber properties of noble fir, Norway spruce, western red cedar and western hemlock grown in Great Britain and compares the results with published values for British-grown Sitka spruce. The study was carried out using timber from even-aged plantations growing in a range of latitudes representative of productive conifer forests. Twenty-seven trees per species were felled, processed into structural-sized battens, kiln dried and destructively tested in a laboratory according to current European standards. Characteristic values of mechanical properties and density were determined and indicative yields for different strength classes were calculated. The results showed that all of the species investigated can produce structural timber, but that western red cedar has the least desirable properties for this purpose. Some further work is under way in order to investigate the effect of rotation length on the timber properties of these species.
FCRN026 research note
Duncan Mayes – Stora Enso
The future for wood in the built environment
Duncan Mayes
Duncan Mayes has over 20 years business experience in the Forest Products industry with the majority of time spent in the Wood Products area focusing on construction and related industries. He has worked in a wide variety of functions including Sales & Marketing, Production Operations, Distribution, New Product Development and R&D & Innovation management. Originally from the UK, Duncan has worked in the UK, Sweden, and Australia and is currently located at the corporate HQ of Stora Enso in Helsinki, Finland. In recent years he has been leading several R&D and Innovation functions in the Wood Products division and most recently joined the Group R&D organisation to set up and lead a newly established Bio Composites R&D platform. In addition to his current role he continues to support in areas of Innovation management and industry specific research topics, and is an active steering member in several European and International research programmes and standardisation committees. He has degrees both in technology and business administration and most recently participated in an intensive company supported programme related to Business transformation and Innovation at IMD, Switzerland. He lives in Helsinki with his partner and two young children.
Home-grown Timber Construction
Cwrt Rhos Fynach, Rhos on Sea
Quality homes designed, constructed and built from Wales’ woodland resource by local companies, to meet our housing needs – surely a win, win, win for our economy, environment and society?
Cwrt Rhos Fynach, Rhos on Sea was designed by Cru Architects, for Wales and West Housing Association to meet the needs of Conwy Borough Council in North Wales. Housing up to 26 residents in 11 flats, it was constructed and built by Williams Homes (Bala) Ltd using home-grown timber.
Benefits Of Using Home-Grown Timber
The Rhos on Sea project demonstrates that in Wales we have the raw materials and technical capacity to create a modern high performance and sustainable built environment. The project presents a model that if repeated all over Wales using a multitude of offsite techniques[1] available to clients would transform the quality and sustainability of the built environment and create additional economic and social value. This projects gives more confidence to an emerging Welsh industry that aspires to supply both the Welsh and English markets.
Wales has 13.8% forest cover. The European average forest cover is 37%. Increasing the forest cover of Wales would be good for bio-diversity, water, air, amenity, flood prevention and soil health. It could also supply a sustainable construction resource for our future generations.
85% of timber used in construction is imported. This means that there is a substantial market demand to enable expansion of the UK timber industry. Increased production of home-grown timber is good because:
- It improves the balance-of-trade,
- It creates employment – particularly in rural areas
- It encourages forest planting, which is good for the environment.
Increasing forestry and increased construction timber form part of climate change mitigation strategies. Forests provide a permanent carbon store. When timber is used in long life applications such as a construction beam, a carbon store is then created in buildings. Both forests and construction timber can be accounted for in a way that helps Wales meet its climate change commitments.
The Rhos on sea projects contributes to climate change mitigation in 3 key ways. (1) The high performance housing reduces operational energy consumption. (2) The use of homegrown timber creates carbon store that can be quantified and accounted for to help Wales meet its climate change commitments. (3) The indirect stimulation to forest planting is a further benefit, although difficult to quantify.
The Rhos on Sea apartments demonstrate that home-grown timber is suitable for use in modern timber frame construction. The project demonstrates that with a motivated client, it is entirely possible to construct modern affordable high performance Welsh houses in a way that stimulates the development of Welsh businesses and the local timber industry and creates confidence about future demand.
[1] Open panel, closed panel, pre-insulted panel, volumetric etc.
Climate Impact Of Constructing An Apartment with CLT
Climate impact of constructing an apartment building with exterior walls and frame of cross-laminated timber
— the Strandparken residential towers
Summary report, carried out by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology and targeting an apartment building constructed almost entirely of wood. The project’s main report (IVL report No B2260) is entitled “The construction phase’s climate impact. Life cycle calculation of the climate impact and energy use of a newly produced energy-efficient residential building in concrete with wooden frames” (in Swedish).
The LCA focuses on an eight-storey apartment building with exterior walls and frames of cross-laminated timber and an additional souterrain floor. The souterrain floor is made of concrete and includes a basement and parking spaces. Folkhem acted as entrepreneur and property developer of the Strandparken wooden houses complex in Sundbyberg, a suburb of Stockholm. Completed in 2013, these are the tallest apartment buildings with wooden frames in Sweden.
Embodied Carbon: Developing a Clients Brief
Embodied Carbon: Developing a Client Brief – UK GBC
With the increasingly successful reduction of operational energy (and thus carbon emissions)
in the built environment, the industry’s next challenge is to reduce the carbon intensity of the
structures themselves (embodied carbon). We know that clients will play a critical role in this
work as what clients ask for, the supply chain works to deliver. UK-GBC also understands that
embodied carbon is an area that many clients are just beginning to address.
This guide is designed for those who need to write effective briefs for commissioning their
first embodied carbon measurements, but who may be at an early stage of embodied carbon
knowledge. It is not a how-to guide for measuring carbon, or which method or tools should
be adopted.
This guide been written by the industry, for the industry. The guidance provides
straightforward information on how to develop a brief and ‘get the job done’. For those
looking for greater depth of knowledge, there is Supporting Guidance with links to further
detailed information.
UK-GBC EC Developing Client Brief has been led by a team at the UK-GBC,
supported by a specialist working group. At key points in the development process the guide
has gone to wider UK-GBC member review (primarily with clients). UK-GBC would like to
thank all those who have contributed to this new guide.
“UK-GBC’s vision is of a built environment that is fully decarbonised. This has to include both
embodied and operational carbon. As operational carbon reduces, the relative significance
of embodied carbon increases. So we will continue to advocate for embodied carbon to
become a mainstream issue in building design, construction and maintenance. Indeed, we
will be encouraging our client members and other clients in the industry to create their own
embodied carbon briefs by making effective use of this guidance.
Also, through our work with cities and other local and national authorities, we will be
encouraging the assessment of embodied carbon within the public sector planning and
procurement process.”
Julie Hirigoyen
CEO, UK Green Building Council
Making the Grade
The aim of this guide is to encourage greater use of UK grown hardwoods. It provides information on the range of quality available from our sawn hardwood timber and highlights the special features of UK grown hardwoods that are often difficult to obtain from imports.
Making the Grade
Nail Laminated Timber
Research in the USA has led to the production and publication of a new guide –
Nail Laminated Timber – US Design and Construction Guide 2017
Part of the family of mass timber products, Nail-laminated timber (NLT) is mechanically laminated to create a solid structural element. NLT is created by placing dimension lumber (nominal 2x, 3x, or 4x thickness and 4 in. to 12 in. width) on edge and fastening the individual laminations together with nails. Typically used as floors and roofs, NLT can also be used for walls, elevator shafts, and stair shafts. Plywood/OSB added to one face can provide in-plane shear capacity, allowing the product to be used as a shear wall or diaphragm.
NLT is an old method of construction with a range of modern opportunity to create compelling architecture. Used in many historic applications, it is enjoying renewed interest as we rediscover the many benefits of mass timber and advance wood technology and manufacturing. Lightweight, low-carbon, and very compatible with high-performance buildings, innovation with NLT is inspiring new opportunities for large- and small-scale buildings across sectors and around the world.
New knowledge
We undertake and communicate leading research. We look outward to other regions to forge knowledge sharing and collaborative partnerships
New ideas
We are a think-tank to provide a reference group for Welsh Government and others to challenge orthodoxy and identify opportunities for sector growth
Skills
We support the development of the skills base essential to drive sector growth