Leading mortgage lenders and housebuilders have toured Scotland’s structural timber industry in a bid to find new ways of building houses at pace.
The Learning Journey was organised by the Structural Timber Association (STA) across sites from the highlands to North-East Scotland. It was delivered in partnership with the Future Homes Hub, Swedish Wood, PEFC, West Fraser, and James Jones & Sons.
Timber frame homes can be erected in as little as five days, industry leaders were told.
The trip was a learning journey that covered every step of a timber frame house – from sustainable forestry to a completed family home.
In Scotland, some 92% of new homes use timber frame, compared to just 13% in England.
The first leg of the visit saw industry leaders visit the West Fraser mill in Morayhill, Inverness. The facility manufactures OSB sheathing for houses. The delegation then visited Cublin Forest – a sustainably managed forest under the stewardship of Forestry & Land Scotland.
Here delegates learned about the seed-to-harvest journey of timber and the role of sustainable forest stewardship and timber certification.
The delegation then travelled to the James Jones facility in Forres on the Moray Coast. The factory manufactures I-joists – an engineered wood structural member used in floor, wall and roof systems.
The visit then moved to James Jones’s sawmill in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire where home grown logs are processed into C16 grade timber production, for use in timber frame.
The second day of the visit saw housebuilders and lenders visit Kirkwood Timber Frame in Sauchen, Aberdeenshire.
The Kirkwood site specialises in the design, manufacture, and assembly of timber frame systems for housing – encompassing both open and closed panel systems, with optional pre-fitted windows.
“Scotland builds faster, greener, and more efficiently than England,” said Andrew Orriss, CEO, Structural Timber Association.
“And the reason is timber frame. These high-quality homes meet higher energy and carbon standards, reduce on-site risks and boost build speed. As an industry we look forward to working with housebuilders and lenders to deliver more homes at pace across the UK.”
Stephen King, UK Project Manager at Swedish Wood, said the event demonstrated the capacity of the structural timber supply chain to deliver world class homes.
