Architects have been urged to challenge structural engineers to make full use of Eurocode 5 (EC5) to push the boundaries of timber construction possibilities.
TRADA senior structural engineer Dr Keerthi Ranasinghe made the appeal at a Woodworking Wales “Designing with Timber” seminar and workshop in Cardiff.
He highlighted Coed Cymru’s Ty Unnos box and ladder beam timber build system as an example.
“The Ty Unnos volumetric building system is unique,” he said. “ It uses local resources, is uncomplicated and above all is a case in point for the opportunities presented by EC5.
“It simply would not have been possible under the previous British Standard and definitely not within the short time span.”
The system is underpinned by TRADA testing and BM TRADA third-party certification.
Dr Ranasinghe picked up on a point made by BSW Timber group marketing manager Eve Johnson – that specifiers shy away from C16 timber due to misconceptions about its quality, which means that imported C24 has to be used.
He urged architects and specifiers to make use of the opportunities presented by EC5 to specify locally-grown timbers.
“They need not curb their imagination by doing so, but can save financially and environmentally,” he said.
