Social Housing Developers Community of Practice members enjoy a hosted tour to include both off-site creation of timber frame panels and on-site progress at the Gwynfaen Project
On 21 October 2024, members of Woodknowledge Wales’ Social Housing Developers Communities of Practice (CoP) made two linked site visits to see how timber is being used to make new homes t near Swansea. This event enabled CoP members to see both the off-site creation of timber frame panels at the SO Modular factory in Neath, and the on-site progress at Pobl Group‘s Gwynfaen Project (Penyrheol, Swansea) which has been referenced in many discussions over the last few years.
The visit proved to be an opportunity to watch the process of transforming lengths of home-grown timber into the panels that, once taken to site and assembled, make up the shell of new energy efficient homes. On a site overlooking the Loughor Estuary and with a view of the Gower peninsular work is underway on the third phase of the project which will create 144 new high performance homes.
A Social Housing Developers CoP visit photo story
Sevenoaks (SO) Modular factory in Neath
The day began at Sevenoaks (SO) Modular’s factory in Neath. We started with a presentation by Head of Production and Technical Efficiency Warren Rowlands – someone well respected by his peers for his knowledge and his willingness to share it, in what is a very competitive, commercial environment. Warren explained the approach to timber frame construction and some of the challenges in off-site manufacturing.
The tour of the factory walked everyone through the stages of creating the key components of the timber frame homes, including the optimised cutting of the timber, the nailing of the frames, automated insulation with wood fibre and the installation of doors and windows.
Windows and doors are installed in the timber frame panels.
Wood fibre insulation fills each panel before it’s closed up.
Pobl Group’s Gwynfaen site in Penyrheol, Swansea
From the factory we headed from Neath to Gwynfaen site in Penyrheol, Swansea. From the site office, Hale Group’s Construction Director Tom Bevan and Pobl Group’s Project Manager, Peter Remedios, took everyone around the third phase of the project. Our hosts pointed out the progression of new homes from initial site delivery and assembly, through the stages of completion, highlighting some of the key features of the individual homes and the site.
The homes are weather-tight within a week of the panels arriving on site and the completed homes are finished in around six months.
The Gwynfaen Project has been designed as a high-quality, cohesive and sustainable community using rural planning principles and being led by a strong green infrastructure and placemaking approach. The notion of ‘combustion free living’ has challenged some of the more conservative and traditional ‘gatekeepers’ but as with all developments, compromises have been struck in order to make progress.
The site tour finished with a look into some of the culs-de-sac of completed timber clad homes and a visit to the Sales & Marketing Suite. Here we were able to see the completed layout of rooms and how the fabric of the new homes has accommodated the technology to reduce the energy needs of the occupiers. Built in technology includes air source heat pumps, solar photovoltaics, batteries and mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems. Requirements for the project also include the use of Welsh sourced timber for the superstructure (panels) along with wood fibre for the insulation, Welsh Larch cladding and timber triple glazed windows and doors.
The Gwynfaen Project has further phases ahead and it’s likely that the precise design and manufacture of the homes will continue to be refined as a result of the off- and on-site experience of the client and contractor. We look forward to a return visit at some point.
For Woodknowledge Wales, site visits like these provide important opportunities for members to see how the ideas and concepts discussed at CoP meetings are becoming a reality. They are important networking opportunities, a chance to be inspired, introduced to fresh thinking and where solutions to common problems can be shared.
We wish to thank both So Modular and Pobl Group for making this visit possible.
For further information about future site visits, please contact David Hedges.
For information about Woodknowledge Wales membership and/or joining the Social Housing Developers Community of Practice, or another of our CoPs, please contact Rachel Cook.
