Crewe care home sets timber record

A care home with the largest timber content of any building in Europe is being constructed in Crewe.

The Beechmere Extra Care development will use more than 1,700m³ of structural grade softwood in its frame, which will house 132 one- and two-bedroom apartments for over 60s in the area.

Prestoplan is providing the timber frame for the Avantage development. Avantage is the consortium tasked with designing, building and operating five Extra Care housing developments across Cheshire, with Beechmere set to open in August 2009.

“We didn’t set out to break any records here, but merely construct a building while working to the budget and using the most environmentally friendly products we could,” said Ian Perry, chairman of Avantage.

“When used in conjunction with insulation, the timber frame not only provides excellent U-values, but works as a quicker and ‘cleaner’ way of building.

“For instance, the timber is less affected by the weather which has meant that building work has been able to continue even when the heavens were opening,” he said.