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The comments at the London Softwood Club by James Jones Timber Systems general manager Brian Robertson that off-the-shelf I-joists "will come, but we have to very careful or there will be problems", are not dissimilar to what some of the softwood icons said about the I-joist in general back in the late 1990s: "It will never work"!

I was one of the individuals who helped pioneer I-joists in the UK in 1993-1995, during the old Trus Joist 'Silent Floor' days. The Silent Floor really did not gain traction until Trus Joist launched its national radio campaign as a sponsor of the Building Awards in 1998. That was only after a good three to five years of preparation after I had moved to the UK in 1995 to start this adventure. Clearly the need was there and the solution was real, two main reasons why it worked so well and why the I-joist has grown market share across the UK.

When I had the opportunity to return to the UK in 2008 with LP, I saw that the fruits of the seeds I had planted over a decade ago had ripened nicely. Many national housebuilders were using some sort of EWP in first floors.

But the real vision was not simply a replacement product, but a new concept to rival the Silent Floor success that had changed the way UK national builders built their homes. Our extensive market research in 2008 and 2009 showed a clear demand for I-joists from the small to medium-sized builders, but most found it too complicated and lengthy a process, as did their merchant supply chain. This was one of the main reasons the largest UK EWP supplier, a major UK builders merchant, had exited the I-joist market in 2009.

Today the EU I-joist market has a staggering 55 I-joists types, 245mm and shallower, with most intended to replace solid timber floors. LP's 225i Ijoist is available through a network of 32 dealers. It is available in standard timber lengths from 3-7.2m in 29-piece mini-packs and is backed by multiple UK wholesale locations with lengths to 12m to ensure just-in-time deliveries. More importantly, it was designed as a direct drop-in 8x2 and 9x2 timber substitute for most C16 and C24 timber floor applications in residential construction.

Some timber frame companies are expressing interest in the 'one-joist' concept as well. For years they have been juggling the multitude of width and depth I-joist combinations in their facilities, which can make it difficult to stock product without experiencing significant waste.

Over the years I've learned quite a bit about the I-joist's place in the UK market. Despite some of the points raised at the London Softwood Club, it is up to the timber industry to listen to our customers' needs and find costeffective concepts to help UK merchants,

builders and timber frame companies to build better homes faster and easier.