Volumetric timber construction: Better, faster, stronger?

Start date and time

Tuesday 15 May 2018

Location

Construction Scotland Innovation Centre Unit 3B, 3 Watt Place Hamilton International Technology Park Blantyre G72 0AG

What innovative building systems should be considered to drive cultural change and productivity improvement across the construction industry in order to deliver the 50,000 affordable homes in Scotland by 2021?

Offsite construction, where a proportion of the building process is transferred from site to a controlled factory environment has been suggested by many sources as a solution to the housing shortage in the UK. From the array of offsite timber systems volumetric construction has the highest level of prefabrication, up to approximately 85%, and therefore offers the highest opportunities for efficiency improvements. Recent advances in converting theoretical approaches into reality in Scotland are opening new opportunities and markets.

In this seminar you will see a series of evidence-based talks delivered by experts in the field, covering the hottest topics in volumetric timber construction from international best practice examples to the construction skills shortage and specifically the roles of the architect, architectural technologist and engineering professions in volumetric timber projects. You will then have the unique opportunity to explore two volumetric building types and timber systems – Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) applied in volumetric student accommodation and Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) applied in volumetric affordable housing to the Scottish Gold Standard.

The event was co-ordinated by Mila Duncheva from Edinburgh Napier University as part of a CS-IC research project with Link Group and Tigh Grian.

The event theme was 'How can volumetric timber construction advance Scotland’s economy'