Timber from the National Forest will have a part to play in UK construction, architects and designers were told at a recent seminar run by Making Woods Work.
The Wood in Construction seminar, held in Burton upon Trent, highlighted how trees growing in the National Forest will have a role to play in low carbon construction.
“The growing woodlands of the National Forest are starting to produce small volumes of timber now, but for a future where a significant quantity of timber will eventually be available for a variety of markets, the seminar highlighted how this be used in the construction of a wide range of domestic, commercial and public buildings,” said Ben Scotting, project manager for Making Woods Work, a project run on behalf of the National Forest Company by Rural Development Initiatives.
“We wish to create a culture of using timber for construction in the National Forest. Then, as timber production increasingly comes on-stream we should have helped to create new and viable markets for the produce here in The National Forest,” he said.
The seminar included a presentation from Bristol-based White Design Associates, and lectures from TRADA on innovative building design and external timber cladding. There was also a tour of three buildings which have been supported by the National Forest Company: business units at Rosliston Forestry Centre; YHA National Forest at Moira; and the new Hicks Lodge, National Forest Cycle Centre, near Ashby de la Zouch.
