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Marylebone Place by Fletcher Priest Architects<\/p>\n\t
Source:Henry Woide<\/p><\/div>\n
Fletcher Priest recently completed Marylebone Place, a retrofit development in central London, which included a four-storey mews scheme. This used a mix of lightweight glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT) and was clad in low-carbon stone bricks. This approach saved 19 tonnes of CO2<\/sub> compared with a more conventional concrete alternative using 50 per cent ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS). Frankly, it was achievable because the new mews building came within the 18m height rule. It would have been very difficult to build in timber otherwise.<\/p>\n So, how could we scale up timber\u2019s use in retrofit-led projects across the industry? The answer lies in creating a unified approach across the regulatory landscape, the supply chains and the insurance industry.<\/p>\n 1: Change the regulations<\/strong><\/p>\n In the wake of the Grenfell tragedy, the UK\u2019s regulatory environment has understandably been tightened up regarding the use of flammable material in buildings above a certain height. But this has happened at the very point when timber appears attractive as a structural material.<\/p>\n In Nordic countries and North America, timber buildings are more established as part of the mainstream construction industry, and have been for hundreds of years, so regulators are more open to timber construction. Our regulations will need addressing if timber is to play a more significant role in sustainable construction.<\/p>\n We originally designed the three roof extensions on the refurbished building at Marylebone Place as a timber hybrid structure. However, this was changed to more conventional concrete and steel when we realised the cross-laminated timber needed to be overclad in three layers of fireboard to meet regulations. This would have made the timber structure more carbon-intensive, heavier and thicker without the benefit of seeing and appreciating the timber finish.<\/p>\n 2: Produce more home-grown timber<\/strong><\/p>\n We should also consider the effectiveness, or otherwise, of our supply chains. Both concrete and steel, while potentially costly in environmental terms, are relatively easy to source locally and their carbon credentials are improving. While timber literally does grow on trees, it takes many years to mature. Much of the timber specified and sourced in the UK is imported, adding transport and carbon costs to the equation.<\/p>\n We need to develop better supplies of construction-quality timber here in the UK \u2013 and we could do with learning from other countries. Sweden has been increasing its total forested area year-on-year, growing 120 million cubic metres annually and harvesting only 90 million cubic metres. An ambitious reforesting programme, which intelligently combines the potential intersectional benefits with wildlife conservation and biodiversity net gain, could support our home-grown timber industry.<\/p>\n 3: Build a dialogue with insurers<\/strong><\/p>\n Engaging with the insurance industry, which is nervous after Grenfell, is another priority. Getting more of the construction sector, engineers and fire experts around a table with the insurance community could provide a way forward, ensuring timber products are mainstream, attractive to use and, crucially, insurable.<\/p>\n A hybrid approach can help \u2013 for example, the option to overclad a timber structure is preferable from an insurance perspective, but worsens the carbon and biophilic benefits from using exposed timber. The industry has trust-building work to do with the wider public in the wake of Grenfell but also directly with insurers to prove that timber can be a safe material when used correctly.<\/p>\n 4: Bridge the expertise gap<\/strong><\/p>\n While the design and construction industries are generally very good at doing what they do, the necessary expertise with timber is not always there and unnecessary cost premiums are typically added from the outset. We need design and construction teams to be more comfortable using timber alongside steel and concrete, to understand the materials\u2019 different properties, how they work together, and how they can be combined effectively.<\/p>\n The more we work with timber as a component alongside other materials, and as part of the bigger picture of a design, whether as new or retrofit, the more we are going to learn about its properties. The industry also needs to recognise how all this fits into its overall vision for urban environments that are built and operated more sustainably.<\/p>\n There is no silver bullet when it comes to the challenges associated with achieving net zero in the construction industry, but timber will inevitably play a greater role in the years to come. Success will inevitably require a unified and consistent approach and shared testing and information-sharing from all stakeholders.<\/p>\n Ed Williams is managing partner at Fletcher Priest Architects\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ambition to deliver buildings more sustainably runs throughout the design and construction industries. We are all aware that the use of structural timber has gained traction in recent years. It is carbon-friendly, adaptable, lightweight but strong, with components constructed off-site, speeding up both delivery and installation. And equally importantly and less tangibly, it feels …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81280,"featured_media":767580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[4600,73595,5950,1342,1674],"yoast_head":"\n