All systems go

Summary
• Health and safety is a big driver of systems solutions.
• Housebuilders are looking for off-site prefabrication and speedy build.
• The iLoft system is looking to revolutionise loft conversions.

Sawmillers, timber engineering companies, timber frame manufacturers and specialist distributors are seeing increasing opportunities in the systems market to help meet ever tightening Building Regulations and boost build speed.

I-joist floor cassettes are already well established in the housebuilding sector, particularly with timber frame, while roof systems and new wall innovations are slowly finding their way.

Though the small merchant’s staple trade of selling solid timber to jobbing builders seems immune to this sector, the system market, on its present course, could well bring about further changes in the larger timber supply sector as housebuilders look for further efficiencies in the build process.

“We are on the cusp of some really interesting developments in timber engineering over the next few years,” said Simon Jones, business development director at Boise Cascade. “A lot of it will be existing technologies coming together and used in different ways.”

New areas

He is starting to see distributors providing floor cassettes into the masonry sector and increased use of roof cassettes. “Cassette floors are continuing to gain ground, health and safety are pushing it that way.”

He estimates that floor cassettes are used in 60% of the timber frame market.

Mr Jones said demographics and the fact the building trade had lost significant numbers of labourers would push timber systems’ use. “We also see some timber frame manufacturers using I-joists in walls. It’s not regular yet, but more and more projects are coming about.”

Mr Jones said the jobbing builder’s floor work would most likely always be cutting solid timber joists to size, but he said competition in the I-joist market had made the product attractive even to this sector.

The Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) is not worried about the development of prefabricated roof systems, some of which are pre-insulated and offer faster build times.

“In a number of other countries in the EU there are already very high levels of insulation and airtightness required (well above what is proposed in the UK) and trussed rafters have been adapted through simple detailing to continue to provide the main roofing solution,” said TRA director Susan Farrow.

She said through its technical committee, the TRA?continues to develop similar details and solutions for the UK. “There are new complementary structural roofing solutions emerging and many of these are being developed by the trussed rafter industry through the system holders and through fabricators.”

JJ-IntelliRoof

James Jones & Sons’ JJ-IntelliRoof panelised system comes complete with spandrel panels, floor cassettes, glulam ring beam, OSB sheathing, vapour barrier, breathable roofing felt and counter battens. Roofers just need to add tiling battens before tiling.

“There’s a lot of interest in Intelliroof from top UK housebuilders,” said Brian Robertson, general manager of James Jones’ timber systems division. “They all like the system – the one-stop shop aspect and the speed and quality of build in particular. Uptake is slow because, while Intelliroof delivers on cost overall, upfront investment in the slightly higher raw material cost is an issue in the current climate.”

His discussions with housebuilder technical directors suggest they are looking for more off-site, quick responses and speedy, high quality build. Many JJI-Joist distributors are adding value by producing JJI-Joist roof cassettes for supply to contractors.

St Luke’s Hospital in Middlesbrough, one of the UK’s biggest roofing jobs in 2009, featured of 1,300 JJI roof cassettes covering 14 timber frame ward blocks.

Smart move

Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE) recently became a manufacturing licensee of Wolf Systems’/ Wyckham Blackwell’s smartroof interlocking, insulated timber panel roof system and has already supplied 85 smartroofs. “The potential market is currently approximately 20-25% of new build houses which have room in the roof,” said Mark Hougham, group product development manager. “It’s estimated we will see 5,000 smartroofs per year as a medium-term goal.”

Simpson Strong-Tie’s iLoft system features a steel connector – the JES (Joist End Support) – which enables use of I-joists in loft conversions without the traditional steel beams. There is no need for a party wall agreement as joists are installed from wall plate to wall plate. The JES now has LABC approval, potentially giving the connector huge credibility.