Wood for good

It was standing room only at the second seminar in wood for good’s “Building Sustainably with Timber” series. An audience of 130 architects and engineers packed into the seminar room of the Building Centre on 16th February, Kyoto Day when the Kyoto Climate Change Protocol became legally binding, to hear three leading experts in engineered timber structures describe some of the most exciting projects in recent years.

The first speaker was Andrew Lawrence, an associate of Arup Research and Development, who believes there is potential for much wider use of timber in the UK and is committed to promoting a better understanding of timber as a material and its capabilities. His presentation focused on the history of timber construction, illustrated with some dramatic images of timber structures from the past 500 years.
Describing engineered wood products such as glulam and Kerto LVL as “the most exciting recent developments in timber”, he went on to show the audience some dramatic recent projects that make use of this material, including the Scottish Parliament Building, and Darlaston swimming pool. “Timber has huge potential, and could be used a lot more, particularly in the UK,” he said. “Wood has a very good strength to weight ratio, and it is very easy to make curved members. It can also be very economic and, because timber looks so good, you don’t need expensive finishes.”
Gordon Cowley of Timber Engineering Connections is well known for his ability to create unusual three dimensional forms alongside more conventional structures, and connections that push the boundaries of timber engineering. He has worked on many of the projects described by Andrew Lawrence – including the Scottish Parliament – as well as the Peckham Library, an exhibition stand for architect Zaha Hadid and a dome for the London School of Economics. He described the current situation regarding timber design as “very exciting”, and encouraged the audience of architects and engineers to respond to the challenge of designing in wood.
This theme was developed by Michael Keller of FinnForest-MERK, the largest manufacturer of engineered timber structures in Europe, who said: “Timber isn’t a two dimensional material. We cut in three dimensions, so whatever you can draw, we can make in timber.” FinnForests-MERKs’ portfolio of projects, described by Michael Keller, include roofs for the Renzo Piano-designed Padre Pio church in Southern Italy, the Expo in Hanover and new law courts in Antwerp. He emphasised that timber can compete on price with steel and concrete, provided the timber specialist is involved at a very early stage in the design process.

Charles Trevor, managing director of timber campaign wood. for good, said: “The attendance at the seminar shows that today’s engineers and architects have a real appetite for information on timber structures. The speakers offered some inspirational projects that caught the imagination of the audience and demonstrated how well timber succeeds in answering the needs of modern designers.”
Each of the three seminars in the series addresses a different sector of the building and construction industry, enabling designers, builders and clients working in these fields to understand the role timber use plays in helping to mitigate climate change and to look in detail at the other sustainability benefits of incorporating timber into their projects. Commercial buildings were the subject of the first event, held on 26th January. The third seminar, on 2nd March, will look at timber’s contribution to housebuilding