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COMMENT
O
ffsite construction presents many new opportunities for an
industry looking to improve productivity, reduce waste
and deliver better quality buildings at a fast rate. Offsite
technology is hailed as the solution to resolving some of the most
challenging problems facing the construction industry today, most
notably the shortfall in housing supply and the skills shortage.
The Government, industry funders, insurers and stakeholders
together with contractors, housebuilders and clients, recognise the
role timber technology must play in this vital area. And, despite the
Government’s initial attempts to constrain the low carbon agenda
through the closing of the Zero Carbon Hub and scrapping of the
Code for Sustainable Homes, it is growing in prominence, thanks
to customers. Environmentally conscious clients are demanding
sustainable building materials be used wherever and whenever
possible, and this of course favours timber.
The Government’s recent change of heart was probably best
realised in their Future Homes Standard. As part of his Clean
Growth strategy, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced plans
in the Spring Statement to develop energy efficient, low-carbon
homes with the introduction of the Future Homes Standard.
This will require new residential builds to be future-proofed with
low-carbon heating and energy efficiency to make homes better for
Andrew Carpenter of the Structural Timber Association says that the timber solutions
already exist for building the energy-efficient low-carbon dwellings the Government is
calling for to address the housing crisis, now underpinned by robust assurances
QUALITY ASSURED
In 2018 the Structural Timber Association’s STA Assure quality standards scheme became mandatory for members
Assured solutions in a crisis
Environmentally conscious clients are
demanding sustainable building materials
be used wherever and whenever possible,
and this of course favours timber
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WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF AUGUST 2019
c. jardin
(C. Jardin)
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