Modern Timber House predicts future for housebuilding with wood

A new book is being published this month celebrating the many ways in which different timber technologies have been used in residential design and construction over the last 10 years and the technical innovations that are now shaping the future of UK housing.

‘Modern Timber House’ is being launched at an evening reception held by Wood for Good at the Building Centre in London on September 28.

Commissioned by Wood for Good in collaboration with the Forestry Commission Scotland and written by architect and timber building expert Peter Wilson, the book looks at housing in the years 2007 to 2017, starting just before the major economic crash and ending with a look at how the Farmer Review, ‘Modernise or Die’ published earlier this year, will impact on the future of housebuilding.

Key issues around affordability, finance, planning and sustainability are addressed across 14 chapters, with examples of how timber products are used to deliver new forms of housing to very high standards of construction, energy efficiency and environmental responsiveness.

Christiane Lellig, campaign director for Wood for Good, said: “It’s amazing to think that it is almost a decade since the Stadthaus was built at Murray Grove in Hackney – a pioneering piece of construction and, at nine storeys of pre-fabricated solid timber, still the second tallest timber residential building in the world.

“Over recent years our understanding and appreciation of the benefits of using more wood in housebuilding has blossomed. Not just in terms of structural timber, but also the huge benefits from more wood in interiors, doors, windows and other joinery, cladding and finishes.

“This book goes beyond aesthetics and shares what wood can do for a building, its occupants and the housebuilding industry at large.”

Author Peter Wilson said: “Using timber as the perfect source of inspiration, the book provokes a change in the way we think about housebuilding in the UK and illustrates the possibilities of implementation.”

The event will feature a review by architectural commentator Ruth Slavid who has herself published books on wood houses and wood architecture. Ruth will be joined by Peter Wilson, and also by Alex de Rijke, founding director of dRMM, Liam Dewar, founder of Eurban and Gavin White, director at Ramboll.

Their panel discussion will explore modern timber technologies and how they are used today in the delivery of tall buildings, social and affordable homes, urban and rural housing, and refurbishments and extensions.

Tickets to the event are free but booking is essential. All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the ‘Modern Timber House.’