Wood First Plus: Industry Data Hub for Architects and Specifiers

Wood for Good, the timber industry sustainability and promotion campaign, has announced the start of a collaborative research and development project: Wood First Plus!

The aim of the project is to create a central point of information containing all of the data necessary to promote timber and timber products as a first choice, ‘primary and preferred construction material’ along with a programme to communicate this key data to key audiences. This process should also help improve on current industry sector performance.

Stuart Harker, managing the project from the Timber Trade Federation, said: “Environmental impacts, along with cost and performance, are going to be key customer drivers for the foreseeable future across the construction products sector. Environmental sustainability assessment is increasingly delivered through assessment of supply chains, design, construction, whole-life assessment and end-of-life aspects. As these measurements increase in importance, so too does the demand for robust, accessible data. This project aims to deliver that.”

Wood First Plus – named after Wood for Good’s Wood First campaign – is targeting three areas key to specification and design with timber: Carbon; Lifecycle assessment and Environmental Product Declaration (LCA & EPD); and Engineering, with a focus on requirements of and compatibility with BIM and structural analysis software.

The information will be made freely accessible to all and promoted through the Wood for Good website.

For more information please visit: Wood For Good                                                                                  

Engineered Timber Forum: First Seminar a Huge Success

The TTF’s Engineered Timber Forum held the first of its series of seminars at the Building Centre in London on the 4th October.

Roughly 200 professionals from architecture, engineering, contracting and consulting firms signed up for the seminar, with introductions from TTF and Wood for Good and the main seminar from Deb Turnbull, Senior Consultant at Napier University giving an overview of engineered timber products and their properties, followed by lively Q&A session.

Stuart Harker, Chair of the Engineered Timber Forum, said: “The Engineered Timber Forum was established to facilitate external dialogue and debate with the specifier and end-user audience, so this was a great start to that process. We will be building on this success with the seminar series and developing an online platform to help further facilitate discussion and answer questions.”

Several questions were raised about the availability of product data within the timber industry and the audience was heartened to hear that the Wood First Plus project will be bringing this together for them in one easily accessible place.

The next seminar will be on November 1st and focusing on Cross Laminated Timber.

For more information please contact Stuart Harker: sharker@ttf.co.uk

Wood Campus – Android Phone App Coming Soon

Following the success of the Wood Campus App on the iPhone, a compatible version is being developed for Android phones.

The Wood Campus is the industry online training hub. It provides users with information and tips about all aspects of working with wood. From fixing cladding to laying wood floors, you can find answers to many timber related questions.

If you would like to download the new App or simply require more information please visit Wood Campus

National Minimum Wage to rise from October

From Monday October 1st 2012 the National Minimum Wage will rise in accordance with the recommendations set out by the Low Pay Commission in its 2012 report.

The adult rate will increase by 11pence to £6.19 per hour. The rate for apprentices will also increase by 5pence to £2.65 per hour and the accommodation offset will increase by 9pence to £4.82 per day.

For more information please visit the Department for Business Innovation and Skills at the following link: http://news.bis.gov.uk

Sustainable construction and bio based materials focus in EU industrial policy

A European Commission communication to re-launch European Industrial Policy - due to be published on October 10th – could provide a boost for the timber sector as it highlights sustainable construction and ‘bio-based’ product markets as sectors for priority actions. The Commission’s communication, called ‘Industrial Policy – a contribution to growth and economic recovery’ and seen by European News agency EurActiv, identifies four key pillars: investment in innovation, better market conditions, access to capital, and skills. It also earmarks six “priority action lines” – specific sectors where it proposes immediate action.

These include: clean manufacturing technologies, sustainable construction, bio-based product markets, key-enabling technologies, and smart-energy grids. To read the full story, please visit the EurActiv website at this link: www.euractiv.com

The TTF will be monitoring development to see how / if this could benefit our sector.

New Animation: Why on Earth a Wooden House

They’ve done it again! The Danish Wood Initiative, which previously produced the highly popular animation “Wood, Nature’s Stroke of Genius”, has produced another gem.

The new animation - “Why on Earth a Wooden House” – succinctly communicates all the benefits of building with wood in just 2 minutes.

The animation is available on Youtube and the Wood for Good website – click following link to watch: Why on Earth a Wooden House

Sequestered Carbon – its role in resource efficient buildings

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) is hosting an event to present new research on sequestered carbon in renewable building products and its relevance to low carbon design on October 17th in London.

Professor David Robson will introduce the research, while other speakers will present RAPIER – a lifecycle carbon and cost design tool – and a case study of the NRP Enterprise Centre at UEA which showcases whole life carbon impact as a core design principle.

To register for the event please visit the ASBP website here: www.asbp.org.uk

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