Woodknowledge Wales

Woodknowledge Wales

Inspiring innovation through collaboration

News

Mandatory quality standards for new homes – WKW response

by

Woodknowledge Wales has responded to Welsh Government’s consultation on the standards new homes will need to meet in the future. We think the climate emergency demands a proactive approach from house builders of all types and we should be moving to a target driven approach. We think new homes need to be Net Zero Whole Life Carbon, set specific targets for carbon and energy and the performance of new homes needs to be independently certified. We also think standards need to be prescriptive but the way they are achieved should not. We need Building Performance Evaluation embedded in new home delivery. See our response HERE.

We’re looking forward to driving the agenda for better homes with you. Get in touch and let us know if you have a project idea that we may be able to help with or promote.

How to build a Welsh Wood Economy

by

Why would it be beneficial for Welsh society to build a wood economy? A new report takes a closer look and analyses the economic and social parameters. Get your free copy of the report here and join the dialogue!
The ‘Serious about Green?’ report is authored by the team at Foundational Economy Research, led by Karel Williams. For the first time, it brings together the Woodknowledge Wales forest industries agenda with foundational economic thinking. In a world without silver bullets, we believe the report provides a frank analysis of where we are now, and how a transformative journey to a socially just wood economy can be coordinated.

There’s no doubt this is a challenging agenda. Wales is a sheep, beef and dairy nation and Wales is a steel nation. These activities are deeply ingrained in our cultural identity.  They may have been rational activities for the past century but are not well-aligned to the low carbon needs of 21st Century Welsh society. Forestry is.
Furthermore, Wales has a landscape, soil and climate suited to forestry. Well-conceived forestry can address both the biodiversity crises and the climate emergency, whilst providing an industrial resource with which to build and retrofit the low carbon homes of the future.
The report offers insight and stimulating ideas to policy makers, business leaders and citizens interested in a sustainable future for Wales. We invite you to join in a dialogue with us on how to build a foundational Welsh wood economy: info@woodknowledge.wales.
Download your free copy HERE.
Join the dialogue by signing up to our Forests & the Foundational Economy webinar series.

Date Time Title & link to event details and registration via Eventbrite
24 Nov 11:00 – 12:30 Serious about Green? Welsh forests and the foundational economy. 
1 Dec 14:00 – 15:30 Serious about Green? From concept to action

 

Valorising the potential of the Welsh green gold reserve

by

A personal reflection by Dainis Dauksta, technical manager, Woodklnowledge Wales
Head and shoulders of Dainis Dauksta in front of saw and with stack of timber
Conifers grow superbly across many of the microclimates and soil types found in Wales, producing a widely varying range of wood types. However, Wales is caught in a paradox because tropes, assumptions and misinformation still dominate discussions about using Welsh softwoods in construction.

Producing Britain’s finest

Some of Europe’s largest living conifers grow as small stands located in remote parts of Wales but few Welsh firms have been able to create business models which can take advantage of this specialist resource. Large homegrown or ‘’oversize’’ conifer sawlogs have tended to be sold to specialist English sawmills such as East Brothers near Salisbury. Arguably, even Wales’ principal softwood resource, the Sitka spruce sawlog, is not fully understood or utilised within Wales and under-informed commentators still use derogatory language about the ‘’quality’’ of homegrown spruce.
Regardless of such subjective judgments, the British spruce sawmilling sector supplies fit for purpose sawnwood products into demanding modern markets. The UK now produces more conifer sawnwood than Latvia, historically one of Britain’s main suppliers.

Focus on processing efficiencies

Over the last 50 years sawmills across the UK moved away from converting broadleaved species because the markets for homegrown hardwood products went into a steep decline which continues today. The homegrown conifer resource has given British sawmillers the opportunity to modernise and process straight simple conifer stems far more efficiently than converting British hardwoods. Nowadays, sawmills can process softwood sawlogs at line feed speeds of over 100 metres per minute and some chipper canter headrigs can operate at considerably higher line speed. Modern sawlines allow operation at economic scales which make commodity softwoods extremely cheap compared to a generation ago when timber merchants charged up to three times current prices (allowing for inflation).

What if we made homes from it?

Welsh timber graded to C16

Around 700,000 cubic metres of softwood sawlogs are produced in Wales annually. Most of this resource is Sitka spruce and we now know that at least 95% of Welsh Sitka spruce sawlogs will convert to C16 strength class construction timber. A proportion of C24 could also be produced economically.
Roughly speaking, 600,000 cubic metres of sawlogs will yield over 300,000 cubic metres of sawnwood. If only 100,000 cubic metres of that yield was strength graded in Wales this would build 10,000 timber frame homes using 10 cubic metres each. 200,000 cubic metres of non-strength graded sawnwood would still be available. From a theoretical 600,000 cubic metres of softwood sawlogs the remaining 300,000 cubic metres of coproducts (such as sawdust and chipwood) can be utilised currently at Kronospan in Chirk to make wood composite panels.
In other words, all of the 600,000 cubic metres of sawlogs could be utilised in Wales if the Welsh construction sector was able to rise to the challenge. BSW claim that around 40,000 cubic metres of C16 spruce can be processed at their Newbridge on Wye sawmill annually but this output is not directly available for Welsh timber frame firms despite repeated requests.

Dismantling the quality argument

Timber frame made from Welsh C16 timber

This simplified analysis is made more complicated by the continuing debates about ‘’quality’’ of homegrown softwoods when compared to imported softwoods from the Baltic zone. This straw man argument tends to be utilised by individuals or organisations with historical agendas or close links to Swedish and Baltic timber merchants. In practice, homegrown spruce has been demonstrated to be fit for purpose in timber frame construction.
Over 50 years ago Bruce Zobel, an American forester and wood scientist, made the point that misinformation dominated perceptions of timber grown in modern industrial forests such as our Welsh spruce forests. Today, scientists such as Dan Ridley-Ellis at Edinburgh Napier University confirm that the growth rate of British conifers does not correlate strongly with strength-grading yields. Simply stated, we can utilise almost all of the conifer timber that we grow in varying applications.
Most importantly, utilising quality Welsh softwoods to build homes will help fulfill the Senedd’s aspiration to create a net-zero carbon construction sector within Wales.

Beetles unbalancing commodity markets

Many spruce forests across mainland Europe and Scandinavia are under attack by bark beetles whose numbers have increased exponentially under drought conditions caused by climate change. Traumatised German foresters recently announced that Germany’s parched forests are nearing ecological collapse. Sweden has 7 million cubic metres and Czechia 30 million cubic metres of beetle-ravaged spruce to cut. The resulting oversupply of spruce sawnwood has significantly unbalanced European softwood commodity markets.
British sawmillers were cutting at break-even or at loss-making output prices for many months until the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted world softwood supply even more dramatically than bark beetles. European spruce has been selling at record low prices whilst US and Canadian softwoods have been traded at record high prices.

Cheap imports, price hikes at home

Against this complex backdrop Welsh timber frame contractors are complaining that the home sawmilling sector is unreliable and imported spruce is cheaper and easier to obtain. The current situation is far from normal. We need to redefine the roles of our conifer plantation forests and their downstream processing industries in terms of carbon sequestration and storage.

Preparing for less reliable import markets

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to create management problems for the British sawmilling sector. Like any other sector, we need to define the new ‘’normal’’.
In the long term, we may not have the easy access to European, Baltic and Scandinavian softwoods we have enjoyed for centuries. The EU zone has been overcutting softwoods since energy production from woody biomass became fashionable. Furthermore, yields from EU industrial forests will decline after this current glut of diseased spruce processing. Will EU partners be less disposed to selling softwoods into British markets as their own demand rises?

Demand pressures in the net-zero carbon economy

If China is to succeed in turning around their 20th century coal-based economy and create a 21st century net-zero carbon economy, their timber imports are likely to increase substantially. Recently, European prices rose slightly as China increased their procurement of European timber.
If climate change in Wales progresses as predicted by the Hadley Centre, Welsh-grown spruce may transition from commodity to premium softwood. In the face of global warming and concomitant epidemics there is no reason to assume that the status quo can continue.

Managing Welsh forests for future need

Welsh forest management will need to change. The Phytophthora ramorum epidemic has already devastated Welsh larch forests and the forestry sector will need to move away from planting large blocks of even aged single species forest. Some academics suggest that mixed species, uneven aged forests will be more resilient. Existing data does not necessarily support this and other strategies are being discussed. Certainly, forest blocks, whether of single or mixed species will need to be smaller in scale. Individual stands of industrial species will need some social distancing in order to decrease risk or speed of disease spread.

What if freestyle forestry was the answer?

Welsh foresters will need to design new forests that can be managed in the face of waves of weather events, pests and pathogens; principal interventions may need to be predominately reactive. Some central European foresters are calling this ‘’freestyle’’ forestry. The narrative about growing our own forests for making new homes will be continually altered as events unfold. The only certainty is that uncertainty will rule sustainable forest management. In spite of this, we have to start planting now for the future. Mistakes will be made and circumstances change but surely that is better than not planting at all?

Email: dainis.dauksta@woodknowledgewales.co.uk

Home-Grown Homes Updates – September

by

With just a few months left of the Home-Grown Homes Project we are now focused on pulling together all findings from the research into usable design guides and tools to leave a lasting legacy from the project.

Project Governance update

The project’s steering group met in September. It reviewed project progress and in particular discussed a draft second interim report and a proposal for a second phase when the current project ends. Cardiff Metropolitan University Research Associate Diana Waldron gave a presentation on progress with the building performance element of the project. The steering group confirmed a three-month extension of the project (until the end of March 2021) for this work package to be completed.

The importance of timber supply chains in Wales

Since the project’s inception, four important developments have served to emphasise the relevance and importance of the timber supply chain in meeting current Welsh Government policy objectives:

• the influence of foundational economic thinking
• the declaration of a climate emergency
• the decision to leave the EU and
• the coronavirus pandemic

A draft of the second interim project report has been prepared to reflect these developments and to draw together the findings from the Home-Grown Homes project, identifying a series of interventions along with a suite of unique behaviour change tools in the form of guidance and case studies. The draft is currently being reviewed by the project steering group, when complete it will be shared with stake stakeholders and the collective feedback will help to shape the final report in December.

Extract from the draft interim Home-Grown Homes project report. Read more about this infographic on delivering net zero housing here.

Project promoted during Ministerial meeting

Woodknowledge Wales Chief Executive Gary Newman met with Julie James MS Minister for Housing and Local Government at the end of September. The meeting provided an opportunity for the Minister to learn more about the work of WKW, achievements made in projects like the Home-Grown Homes Project and plans for future activity and where this might support Welsh Government priorities and action.

Building Performance

Further revisions have been made to a series of reports on the use of the Overheating in New Homes Tool developed by the Good Homes Alliance. A thermography report on Pentland Close in Cardiff is being reviewed ahead of publication. Refinements have been made to the detail and preparation is being made for the soft launch of the two industry guidance tools on Building Performance Evaluation and Embodied Carbon in October. For more information contact Diana Waldron (dcwaldron@cardiffmet.ac.uk).

Timber Frame solutions

BM TRADA colleagues are finalising a number of guidance documents and project outputs (detailed in previous updates) after some of them were furloughed. Guidance on Design, Production and Erection will identify the common issues which timber frame homes present during design and construction and how these can best be avoided.

WoodBUILD autumn series – webinars underway!

Our webinar series has started with the first two on the themes of forestry and housing being held on-line attracting lots of interest and engagement. The first focussed on Productive Forests and Climate Smart Woodlands and looked at woodland management, what we should we plant and what tools can help in making choices. Tim Pagella of Bangor University, Duncan Ray of Forest Research and Chris Jones of NRW shared their thoughts and responded to some challenging questions in a facilitated discussion.
The second webinar explored building performance in social housing. Diana Waldron of Cardiff Met University, Julie Godefroy of Julie Godefroy Sustainability and Susie Diamond of Inkling and Grant Prosser of Wales & West Housing explored the growing interest in this area of research and practice and included a soft launch of forthcoming guidance and an update on the progress being made in the Home-Grown Homes Project in this area.

Autumn Conversation Podcasting

A series of four podcasts are being finalised which link to the project themes and will be published on-line by mid October. Lasting about an hour they each feature a conversation between two individuals with a background and interest in the subject matter and focus on the future and how it might be shaped. The four themes and conversationalists are:

  • Bangor University’s John Healey and forestry consultant Jo O’Hara talk future forests;
  • PYCs Jasper Meade and MAKARs Neil Sutherland talk about manufacturing homes;
  • Coastal’s Debbie Green and United Welsh’s Steve Cranston explore foundational economic responses;
  • Sheffield University’s Fionn Stevenson talks about our future homes with Stride Treglown’s Rob Wheaton.

Contact us

If you would like to find out more about the project please visit our website page or contact the project manager David.Hedges@woodknowledgewales.co.uk.

How do you compare building standards and net zero operational targets?

by

Good Homes Alliance and Woodknowledge Wales commissioned an energy modelling report to compare different low energy building standards. The paper seeks to illustrate how the choice of a building standard affects the amount of renewable energy generation that is required to comply with a net zero operational outcome. The report does not take into account embodied energy/carbon. All energy and carbon modelling is illustrative but based upon real archetypes.
The work was carried out by John Palmer of the Passivhaus Trust in August 2020.
The report can be down loaded here.
 

Are modern UK forests suited to help restore biodiversity?

by

Can productive forests provide both carbon storage and enhanced biodiversity? In the public debate across national media and the twittersphere this seems unlikely. Confor’s new Biodiversity, Forestry and Wood report makes the case that planting and managing trees in the UK to produce wood can deliver biodiversity benefits as well as playing a vital role in the fight against climate change.
Based on an analysis of evidence and case studies from across the UK the report demonstrates that suitably-sited forests for wood production can deliver great benefits for wildlife and that appropriate harvesting from native woodland can often enhance its biodiversity value. The report has benefited from engagement and input from a wide range of environmental and conservation organisations.

The need to focus on biodiversity

The acknowledged potential of forests in helping to mitigate climate change has led UK governments to set targets for woodland creation, use of wood and woodland management. At the same time little attention has been paid to the role these forests can play to help tackle the substantial decline in biodiversity in the UK and elsewhere.

Moth
Rosy footman (Miltochrista miniata) Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria) Buff tip (Phalera bucephala)

Globally, nature is declining and species are becoming extinct as a direct result of human activity. Besides the moral issue of the destruction of life, nature’s decline poses a direct threat to our economies, food supply, health and quality of life. It is caused directly by human activity: a triple attack from climate change, resource extraction and pollution. Put together by Eleanor Harris, Confor’s first biodiversity report presents an analysis of the evidence on forestry and biodiversity, with a view to ensure forestry policy delivers confidently for nature as well as for climate.

Areas of investigation

Three key areas are highlighted in the report:
1. the habitat value of forests planted for wood production,
2. the potential of bringing neglected native woodland into management through the development of small-scale wood production and local supply chains,
3. the importance of a home-grown, low carbon resource in helping reduce the pressure to exploit natural and semi-natural forests globally, tackling the drivers of biodiversity decline around the world.

Habitat value of productive forests

UK countryside with hills in background and mix of softwood and hardwood forests and open green fieldsA substantial body of science suggests that, at present, the forests planted in the UK for wood production have significant value as a biodiversity habitat, in spite of their young age and largely non-native species. Evidence-based management measures have become standard forestry practice in enhancing these maturing habitats, such as creating structural diversity and incorporating native tree species. No more than 75 percent of a forest area may be planted with a single species. Species mixtures provide a more continuous supply of seed for birds and enhance invertebrate diversity. They diversify light levels in the forest, with species like pine facilitating a herb layer of more light-demanding graminoids (grasses) and ericoids (like heather), in contrast to the bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), ferns, and forbs (like wood sorrel) characteristic of spruce. Diversifying forests is also an important consideration for wood production, to mitigate risks from pests, extreme weather and market fluctuations. Modern forests provide diverse and dynamic habitats that attract a great variety of wildlife such as kestrel, barn owl, hen harriers, nightjar, turtle dove, red squirrel, as well as hundreds of moth species and beetles.

Improving the conditions of native woodlands

UK woodlands are globally unique due to two factors: Our oceanic climate creates rare temperate rainforest rich in epiphytes. Our limited palette of native tree species have high genetic diversity and have demonstrated high resilience to a wide range of climate changes. This combination of oceanic climate, open structure and high genetic diversity within species has led to the development of unique assemblages of ferns, mosses, liverworts, lichen and vernal vascular plants that are of global conservation importance. Yet the majority of our native woodlands are degraded and fragmented, with priority species showing declines. Evidence reviewed in the report suggests that wood production can make a contribution to nurturing these into ecological health. This would be achieved through interventions such as sensitive extraction (e.g. thinning and coppicing), promoting tree growth and forest regeneration (e.g. by preventing browsing damage), providing a sustainable income stream to fund active management and create value for the woodland owner, as the basis for high quality native woodland expansion.

Biodiversity impact beyond the local forest


The UK is the second biggest importer of timber globally, and demand is forecasted to increase. Wood-producing forests in the UK help tackle the fundamental causes of nature decline at a global level by reducing our demand for resources produced elsewhere. Wood production sequesters carbon, provides the raw material for green jobs and low-carbon manufacturing, and reduces the UK’s reliance on imported timber which may be harvested unsustainably from natural forests. They help reduce flooding and improve air quality. Using timber in construction also means that extraction based materials with high negative impact on biodiversity elsewhere are displaced.

Recommendations for further research

While there is good evidence on many points, the report also highlights research gaps in a range of areas. These include new woodland creation, management advice on important UK species assemblages, restoration of woodland ecology beyond the trees, studies of forestry within the wider landscape, invertebrates, the ecology of the forest floor, and interactions between forest biodiversity and public access.
As the report concludes: ‘Forests expanded and managed for the supply of sustainable resource, wildlife and carbon is not merely a strategy to avert climate and biodiversity disasters. It is a vision of a future society which is more healthy, more connected with nature, and more truly prosperous.’ We couldn’t agree more.

Home-Grown Homes Project updates- July 2020

by

A new timber frame manufacturing group, an extension request for project partner Cardiff Met and trying out an overheating risk assessment tool. Home-Grown Homes project manager David Hedges, brings us the latest up dates from the project.

Project Governance update

The project’s Steering Group has met twice in June and July to review progress, consider the financial position, discuss ideas on a further phase of the project and what this might look like. The project team is aiming to produce an interim final report in September for circulation amongst stakeholders in the autumn. A three-month extension for Cardiff Metropolitan University to complete further building performance analysis has been requested from WEFO. There is also going to be a third and final independent review of the project later in the year.

Assessing overheating risk & mitigation measures

In addition to the final reports on the building performance testing carried out by Build Test Solutions (reported in the last update) Diana Waldron has drafted the first of a series of reports on the use of the Overheating in New Homes tool. Evidence suggests homes are at greater risk of overheating and climate change will make this worse. Developed in 2019 by the Good Homes Alliance, the tool is designed to be used in the early design stage of schemes to identify factors affecting overheating risk and potential mitigation measures. Diana’s first report focuses on the Powys County Council Affordable Housing Scheme at Clyro, near Hay-on-Wye, and includes an analysis of the tool’s ease of use. For more information contact Diana Waldron.

Strengthening the manufacturing sector through collaboration

HGHP research into the role of timber manufacturing concluded that collaboration between manufacturers could help strengthen the sector in Wales. The MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) agenda, the drive to develop the Foundational Economy, the need to respond to the climate emergency and the challenge of a post Covid-19 economy all point to the value in identifying new ways of working. In July, Woodknowledge Wales invited timber frame manufacturers to discuss opportunities for collaboration. Six of the main manufacturers across Wales and the borders (Lowfield, Williams Homes, SO Modular, Castleoak, PYC and Fforest) have agreed to form a working group to collaborate on solving common challenges. For more information on the working group contact Gary Newman.

Members of the timber frame manufacturing working group

Timber frame guidance nearing completion

BM TRADA colleagues are making progress on timber frame and procurement related guidance documents and reports (detailed in the last update) after some of them were furloughed. Work package lead Robin Lancashire has made a return to work on the project after a period of compassionate leave. The BM TRADA team will be aiming to have their Guidance on Design, Production and Erection published in draft in September. For more information contact David Hedges.

Zero-carbon housing options

Discussions with timber frame manufacturers on the solution being developed have demonstrated the importance of working with the industry and exploiting their knowledge and experience. Their views have persuaded the team to avoid a single solution and to work up all five of the solutions being considered. The Steering Group accepted a recommendation to support the development of a detailed specification describing thermal, structural and carbon performance requirements of five, timber-based, MMC, low carbon solutions. For more information contact James Moxey.

WoodBUILD autumn series

The series consists of 90 minute webinars hosted by Woodknowledge Wales and partnering organisations from September to November 2020. The webinars cover topical issues across the timber supply chain from forest management to low carbon, high performing timber frame homes. Grouped under the themes of forestry, manufacturing and housing each webinar will include presentations by industry experts followed by a discussion. You can find an overview of all webinars on our website.

In addition, we will issue a series of podcasts featuring David Hedges in conversation with experts across forestry, manufacturing and housing. These are currently being recorded and edited, ready for dissemination in September.
For further information contact Christiane Lellig.

Re-foresting: the potential for timber villages

by

Results from a study on production strategies for the Northern Forest.
As England is launching a consultation on its future tree planting strategy, we’re looking at results of a recent study by Simon Feather. ‘Re-Foresting: A Strategy for Production within the Northern Forest’ investigates collaborative approaches between architects and the forestry sector to define future tree species suitable for tomorrow’s construction in a low-carbon society.

Co-creating productive forests with timber use in mind

As woodlands are affected by major tree diseases and climate change within the UK, the Forestry Commission and other woodland organisations are actively seeking to plant more diverse commercial forests to remove the risks associated with diseases and monoculture forests. Architects and designers should have input into what will be planted within commercial forests, as they will be designing with the resulting timber resource. A more collaborative approach, involving those throughout the supply chain would ensure that timber and trees are put to their most effective use to mitigate climate change and promote sustainable lifestyles.

Architecture and the Forest – Masterplan

What forest for what outcome

The benefits of managed forests and building with timber are well documented. The growing enthusiasm for timber architecture is likely to continue and increase demand for wood products. A number of large tree-planting schemes like the ‘Northern Forest’, the ‘Great Green Wall of China’ and the ‘African Green Wall’ are planned. Their focuses must include a range of benefits: enhanced carbon sequestration, improving biodiversity and generating timber production for our increasing demand.
Investigations into the current large-scale planting strategies across the world show that very often the choice is made for fast growing softwoods and – outside of Europe – creating mono-cultural forests. From a carbon perspective the choice seems clear: Fast growing species absorb more CO2 than slower grown ones like most hardwoods. However, mono-cultural forests are less beneficial for biodiversity than multi-species forests. In essence this means that no single forest can achieve all targeted outcomes and that a variety of different types of forests for different purposes is needed.

Anatomy of Trees

The need for a comprehensive tree planting strategy

Politicians and planners who make large scale strategic decisions on land use need to embrace wider spheres of knowledge in order to re-think timber production within the UK.
Planting and managing woodlands with a purpose; socially, economically and environmentally, delivers benefits for rural communities. A comprehensive planting strategy, that allows landowners to see the clear benefits of planting different species could be a catalyst to revitalise the UK’s timber industry. Engagement with the architecture profession and construction industry could allow the tree planting strategies that are implemented in coming years to help resolve the continuous housing shortage.

Re-foresting: Modelling productive forest villages

‘Re-Foresting’ is a set of nine productive model villages located along the M62, and within the ‘Northern Forest’. Each village uses the environmental conditions associated with their unique location to grow a different selection of tree species. The harvested materials are used to manufacture the villages’ future timber buildings. The project aims to promote the use of locally grown timber and revitalise the UK’s timber industry.

Forest Village

Exploded timber dwelling axonometric

 

The right tree, in the right place, for the right purpose

As stated in the ‘Scotland Forestry Strategy 2019-2020’ trees grow according to particular environmental conditions and not by governing land borders. By acknowledging why trees grow better in one environment than another would give reasons for a locality to identify with the planting. Acknowledging what the timber will be used for prior to planting gives reasons for the management strategy and use of the crop occurring at different stages of the cycle. It could also give an indication of its value prior to planting if this timber was used for the purpose of building.

Timber Growth Deal

Timber Selection Choices

Increasing the timber palette

The UK will never be able to rival the levels of softwood tree planting found within Scandinavian countries. The timber manufacturing processes, and products exported from Finland and Sweden are so well established that replicating these in the UK is unlikely to compete on economics alone. The current political context as well as future pandemics call for the UK to become more self-reliant and reduce its level of imports. By planting many tree varieties within our new forests, that are native to the UK and not common across Europe, the UK also has a chance to export timber in the future.

Back to the future of locally grown buildings

Ship building of the 17th century would use a minimum of 10 different timber varieties within a vessel’s construction. Each timber was chosen according to its specific use based on the characteristics it encompassed. In contrast, modern timber dwellings are built from a very limited timber palette of 2 or 3 species at best. Architects and designers need to embrace the great varieties of timber characteristics and celebrate how those can lead to the timber having different functions and applications. By moving past the common misconception British grown timber species are not suitable for use in architecture and allowing architects to design accordingly could lead to exciting new timber buildings.

Ship Building Example

Characteristics for market success

Characteristics that are important to the strategy are maintenance and longevity, fire resistance, anti-bacterial properties, insulative and acoustic properties, colour, ability to be machined and resistance to rot and humidity. Tree planting decisions will have to factor in incremental growth, total annual yields and an effective management system to not be contentious among timber professionals.
‘Re-Foresting’ presents an all-inclusive concept that could be brought to fruition within the ‘The Northern Forest’ project or other suitable stretch of land left from diseased trees.

About the author

Simon Feather is an architect based in Yorkshire. A particular interest in productive landscapes led him to his master’s project, ‘Re-Foresting’ at Leeds Beckett University. Based on a detailed analysis of the Northern Forest the study provides a comprehensive strategy to harness woodlands and their resources to increase their local economic, social and environmental value. The project won a Royal Society of Arts Student Award.

The Foundational Economy and its impact on the timber construction sector in Wales

by

Photo of Gary Newman, WKW
Gary Newman, Chief Executive of Woodknowledge Wales expores what the Foundational Economy is, why Welsh Government are interested in it and what it means for the Welsh timber sector.
The Welsh first Minister, Mark Drakeford AM, is increasingly considering Welsh development policy through the lens of the Foundational Economy. I’m also drawn to the Foundational Economy, concerned as it is with the development of local supply chains for the provision of the basic needs that have a huge influence over the quality of life for people in Wales. That means that the activities of our membership can be considered to be part of the Foundational Economy as they are engaged with the provision of housing and the supply of timber products. It is therefore important to understand more.

What is the Foundational Economy?

The term Foundational Economy was first coined by a group of academic economists led by Professor Karel Williams at Manchester University in the early 2010’s. It is now an internationally recognised concept. Foundational economists are concerned with addressing the everyday parts of the economy. The parts that are fundamental to the quality of people’s lives but typically not very newsworthy and often taken for granted – such as utilities, health and social care, education, food and housing. In fact, foundational sectors make up about 45% of the Welsh economy.
There is inevitably considerable debate about what the foundational economy actually is – which sectors are in and which are not. I’m not writing this article as an academic review so I will spare you the detail of that debate. Let’s just say that housing and its supply chains (including timber manufacturing and forestry) are included.

So, the timber construction sector is foundational, but what does that mean?

The short answer is, I’m not entirely sure. But some things are clear. Using the lever of public procurement to support local business is most definitely a foundational economic strategy. The problem here is that public procurement strategies have been a go-to solution for some time and have not led to change in the way that we might have expected. Will liberation from EU procurement rules change that? I remain sceptical, but that is definitely a subject for another day. What’s important here is that there is much more to the foundational economy than the tweaking of public procurement policy.

Developing local supply chains

Lowfield Timber Frames Ltd. Marton, Welshpool

Foundational economic activity desires the development of resilient organisations owned and run in a purposeful way that delivers financial returns for owners, meaningful employment to the local community and wider value to Welsh society. This means that policies need to focus on supporting the right kind of business. Policies that are not simply pro-business, but pro the right kind of business. As a slight segue, there is a strong overlap here with the low carbon agenda. Some businesses are most definitely ‘the wrong kind of business’ and have to go (e.g. fossil fuels), some must shrink (e.g. cement production) and others need to grow (e.g. low carbon timber homes and their timber supply chains)

What is the right kind of business?

Here could start another long discussion, but for me the right kind of business are those that are rooted within the communities that they serve. In the private sector, good examples would be family owned and multi-generational medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives and social enterprises. Who owns the business and what the business is for, really does matter. In the intermediate sector, housing associations are another excellent example. Of course, that does not mean that multinationals and private equity owned firms are not valuable to Wales. It simply means that these types of organisations should not be the centre of attention in strategic policy terms (other than to demand more from them in return for locating in Wales and gaining access to Welsh workers and Welsh markets). It also means that we should be very careful about the tendency to look elsewhere for solutions or silver bullets. I certainly believe that in Wales we have the key ingredients for a vibrant low carbon economy based upon our natural resources. To deliver that, the first thing we need is not money, it is belief.

What is Woodknowledge Wales doing?

The Woodknowledge Wales team certainly don’t view government policies as the only means of change. In fact, we believe that governments often follow with policy after others have successfully demonstrated what’s possible. So, foundational economic thinking, when appropriately articulated, is not only an agenda for Welsh Government. It could certainly also inspire and guide the actions of our network and others operating within the foundational sectors of our economy.
I’ve probably over-simplified the subject. But I’m definitely a believer in the Foundational Economy and its focus on local supply chain development. That said, to get a better grasp on what foundational economic development really means for the Woodknowledge Wales membership and our wider network, we’re working with Karel Williams and his Foundational Economy team. Together we are interrogating the dynamics of the timber construction supply chain, how the sector currently operates and how it could develop to become more purposefully aligned to deliver greater economic, environmental and social benefit.

We will be reporting the findings from this exciting study in the Autumn.

For more reading on the foundational economy I recommend two publications – What Wales Could Be, and topically What Comes after the Pandemic.   There are also a number of relevant articles on the Institute for Welsh Affairs website.

HGH Project Updates May 2020

by

While the Covid-19 pandemic has brought large parts of the industry to a standstill, we’ve been working away as best we can to progress the Home-Grown Homes project further.

Project governance update

Acting on recommendations from the independent project review carried out in March, Powys County Council has strengthened governance by creating a steering committee to replace the project management board with an enhanced focus on scrutiny. The Group, which held its first meeting in May has an independent chair – Nigel Elias, Programme Manager with the ‘Better Jobs Closer to Home’ team in Welsh Government. The Steering Group members are:

  • Tom Simmons, Dafydd Evans, Vince Hanly and Gareth Jones (Powys County Council),
  • Jon Travis (Welsh Government Forest Policy),
  • Dominic Driver (Natural Resources Wales Head of Land Stewardship),
  • Jim McKirdle (WLGA Housing Policy Officer),
  • Sian Howells (Mid Wales Housing representing CHC) and
  • Simon Inkson (consultant).

Woodknowledge Wales was commended by the review team on the leadership it has brought to the project and on how well the project has created, involved and managed a wide network of stakeholders.

51 new homes in Newtown on the horizon

Three important affordable housing projects in Newtown have made progress despite the lockdown.
WKW has worked with Powys CC on its Affordable Housing Programme and helped in adding building performance and timber audit requirements into the tender documents for the Red Dragon project which is out to tender in June and July. It’s a project of 18 new homes on the site of a pub in the town.

The Council’s project at Sarn has been awarded to Pave Aways Ltd, Oswestry based contractors. It’s a mix of seven houses and bungalows due to start on site in June and being developed to Passivhaus standard.
Pave Aways Ltd has also been awarded the contract for the former Bowling Green project in Newtown which is due to start on site in July – the project has been delayed as a result of the previous contractor going into administration. WKW has offered to support Powys CC and Pave Aways in any timber-related issues on the project to create 26 flats.

Guidance taking shape

The Home-Grown Homes Project includes the development of a number of important guidance documents for specifiers, designers and procurement specialists.
The Good Homes Alliance is developing Guidance on Building Performance Evaluation and consultants Julie Godefroy and Susie Diamond held a workshop with 30 stakeholders to review the early draft document in May. Consultant Jane Anderson (of ConstructionLCA) held two workshops on 20th May for clients, contractors and consultants and took participants through draft Guidance on Embodied Carbon.
Both guidance documents are due to be published in September. Project partner BM TRADA has begun to prepare Guidance on Design, Production and Erection in Timber Frame Housing. The guidance will be in the form of a handbook to guide users from across the construction sector on ways of avoiding common problems through good communication and building upon past victories and defeats. It will discuss key items through the design, kit fabrication and site construction phases and will feature 100 key topics where common mistakes are made.

Reporting progress

Determining the efficiency of the ‘building envelope’ is key to improving how they perform. Two exercises or pilot days to test the performance of flats on two exemplar projects took place earlier in the year and the first report of the results has arrived.
The pilot days aimed to compare two different methods of measuring and assessing the efficiency of the building envelope, thorough determination of Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC). The research methods under scrutiny were the co-heating test, where data is harvested over the course of two weeks, without interruptions and Smart HTC, which is a significantly less intrusive method, harvesting data over the period of five weeks. The pilot days also included a comparison of two methods of calculating airtightness – the common blower door test and the novel pulse method. Consultants Build Test Solutions carried out the tests and meetings are planned with the client and contractor to consider the report.
In addition to our testing, the Building Performance Network (bpn) will be publishing its review of performance evaluation of housing in June which WKW has been a partner in supporting. The study reviews new build housing performance and BPE methods and looks at the future of housing performance evaluation. Ahead of its publication bpn has produced a 2 page summary here.

A zero-carbon housing solution

We are now about to consult with organisations in the timber frame supply chain in order to develop a better understanding of issues such as buildability, detailing, materials, costs and skills.

Future Talent for a low-carbon society

As part of the Home-Grown Homes project we are working with the education sector to explore some of the insight that is emerging from the project and how this might be embedded within learning programmes. We are consulting with Universities and Colleges to do this. We have also developed strong links with Techniquest, a science and discovery centre supporting teachers and schools across Wales. Our collaboration focuses on learning about the forest, forest industries and carbon literacy. We’re off to a promising start but nothing can replace applied knowledge… Read more here.

WoodBUILD autumn seminar series

We have reviewed options for our annual conference, including online formats, and will now be delivering a series of technical webinars, engaging online presentations, and conversational podcasts throughout the autumn. The programme is currently being finalised and will see topics and features across forestry, manufacture and housing. The technical webinars will predominantly focus on findings from the Home-Grown Homes project and the series of guidance documents and implementation tools we’re working on across the various work packages. Our series of conversational podcasts will attempt at opening up a debate about potential solutions to topical issues around the forest and housing economy in the context of a climate and biodiversity emergency. We’re open to suggestions for topics you’re interested in and interesting people you would like to see in conversation with each other about these. Please contact Christiane.Lellig@woodknowledgewales.co.uk to submit your ideas.

Welsh Window solutions

Christiane Lellig is co-ordinating a spin-off project from the Home-Grown Homes Project. This will take the initial work and interest generated by the Project in developing a standard window design for social housing providers in Wales through to a practical solution so that those windows can be manufactured by Welsh joinery manufacturers. A kick-off workshop with joinery businesses took place on 5 May. As part of this project we are conducting a survey on the most common window specifications in new and existing social housing. Find out more about the project here. Please contact Christiane.Lellig@woodknowledgewales.co.uk if you’d like to get involved in the project.