Search Results: 'Centre for Timber Engineering'

Finishing first
09 December, 2006
Finishing technology is becoming ever more innovative in response to competitive and environmental pressures in the timber and sheet materials sectors

Kissock awarded honorary doctorate
06 December, 2006

Howells heads line-up at TRADA conference
27 November, 2006
Award-winning architect Glenn Howells will present a case study of this year's Wood Awards overall winner the Savill Building at TRADA's In Touch with Timber conference next May.

Opportunity abroad
11 November, 2006
The expanding interest in timber building is attracting companies from across Europe to the UK’s markets. But is the sales traffic mainly one-way? Camilla Hair of SCA Timber Supply investigates

Hi-tech hard cell
28 October, 2006

Parallam takes centre stage
19 October, 2006
Architecture students have used iLevel Trus Joist's Parallam Strand Lumber (PSL) as part of a project to develop new building designs.

Special delivery
14 October, 2006
This year's IWSc conference focused on the importance of delivering technical information to specifiers on a just in time basis

Arnold Laver hits record month
20 September, 2006
A record £2m of sales in just one month has been notched up at timber merchant Arnold Laver's Mosborough site.

Combilift raises the bar
19 August, 2006
Combilift has come a long way in its eight-year history and, with its new manufacturing facility firing on all cylinders, has equally ambitious plans for the future

New timber research centre to open
10 August, 2006
BRE has teamed up with the University of Bath to open a new research centre aimed at developing innovative construction materials and products, including timber.

Forscot forges on despite opposition
05 August, 2006
Phase one funding of £700,000 has been secured for detailed research and initial planning/environmental approvals work on Forscot's proposed £1bn pulp, paper, sawmill and renewable energy facility at Invergordon. In an interview with TTJ, managing director Tharald Frette said that it was proving “quite tough” to raise the £6-10m required to complete the planning/environmental permits process and detailed engineering work. But he added that “four or five” potential funding routes were being pursued at present, including potential partners and the financial institutions. The target for commencing construction had been 2006 – with operations beginning in 2008 – but this timetable was now “more like a year out”, according to Mr Frette. Anticipating that construction would begin some six to eight months after the resolution of the funding package, he insisted “we will get there – of that there is no doubt”.A vocal opponent of the development, MSP Fergus Ewing, claims that Forscot has over-estimated the volume of available Sitka spruce from Scotland and northern England. As a result it would put a major strain on supplies. But Mr Frette responded: “We have looked at the same numbers as everybody else. The best judges of whether the figures are realistic are the institutions who are going to give us that money. They are more stringent and tough than any politician has ever been.” The Forscot venture emerged following a re-evaluation of an existing Scottish Enterprise-led project to consider the creation of a pulp mill in Scotland. According to Mr Frette, the Forscot concept trumps its predecessors by combining “pulp, power and paper in an integrated project”. Under current proposals, initial work would centre on developing the necessary infrastructure for the facility – including the installation of wood handling equipment and a rail spur, as well as the rebuilding of a pier. The initial phase of boiler/power station work would then be completed ahead of the construction of a mill with an annual production capacity of 550,000 tonnes of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp.Proposed sawmill The Forscot sawmill as currently proposed would be capable of producing around 250,000m3 per year of sawn goods for the UK housebuilding and DIY markets. But this is planned to be a separate part of the development. Mr Frette emphasised it would be an independently owned and operated facility and the go-ahead would depend on an investor partner.One of the key attributes of the Forscot proposal is self-sufficiency in heat and electricity, thereby helping the government and the Scottish Executive to meet its renewable energy targets. The venture's biofuelled power station would be brought on stream – by early 2009, according to the latest timetable envisaged by Mr Frette. Of the 144MW expected to be made available for use, internal consumption is calculated at around 135MW. The surplus could well go towards the production on site of necessary chemicals such as oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and ozone. “This would relieve the load on the infrastructure and create further business opportunities,” said Mr Frette.In terms of wood requirements, Forscot's managing director explained that the pulp mill would consume a total of 2.8 million tonnes per year. An assessment of wood resource availability would then be required before committing to the construction of a 420,000 tonnes per year publication paper mill on the Invergordon site, he said. If built, this would consume 500,000 tonnes of wood per year. But Fergus Ewing still regards Forscot as a “flawed” venture. The MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber described the scheme as “a distraction” given the emergence of other projects backed by established timber companies. He alluded in particular to: BSW Timber's proposal to invest more than £25m in relocating and expanding its sawmill operations in Fort William; and Balcas’ plan to invest £20m in a biomass renewable energy plant, also in Invergordon. Noting that Forscot had already received £229,000 of public money and had “taken up two years of public sector time”, he called on Scottish ministers Ross Finnie and Rhona Brankin to end any debate about a further £150m being ploughed into the project from the public purse and to focus their attention on other timber industry projects.

First STTA awards presented
03 August, 2006
High-performing students at Napier University’s Centre for Timber Engineering (CTE) have been recognised in the first of a new series of awards sponsored by the Scottish Timber Trade Association (STTA).

CTE seeks volunteers
31 July, 2006
The call has gone out for volunteers from the timber industry to help review training modules prepared by the Centre of Timber Engineering (CTE) at Napier University.

Swedes back wood for good
09 July, 2006
Members of wood for good have voted strongly to continue with the timber promotion campaign after the Nordic Timber Council (NTC) withdraws its funding in September.

Driving force
24 June, 2006
Are timber companies pushing forward with the drive for high-value manufacturing? Camilla Hair of SCA Timber Supply investigates

New device could help timber in higher rise
24 June, 2006
Napier University has teamed up with Cullen Building Products to develop an appliance which could significantly increase the timber frame market share for higher rise buildings and help them meet Building Regulations.

Engineered for success
24 June, 2006
Engineered timber has entered the mainstream but it remains innovative

Learning curve
13 May, 2006
There's a growing feeling that timber industry needs to focus more on the demands of creating its future workforce.

Canadian architect to give first Talking Timber lecture
03 May, 2006
Top Canadian architect Brian McKay-Lyons is to be guest speaker at the first of Napier University’s “Talking Timber” lectures on May 11.

Appearance grading of UK-grown hardwoods made easy
25 March, 2006
Architects, specifiers, engineers and timber processors now have access to more user friendly information on the appearance grading of UK-grown hardwood – and more is to follow.