Creating a better understanding of use of timber in the built environment

When it comes to sustainable building materials, wood offers unparalleled performance. It can create durable and aesthetically pleasing features for a building. However, despite a continued move towards eco-friendly building, timber products are often overlooked.

It’s important that architects and specifiers working on both domestic and commercial buildings keep up to date on the evolution of timber products and avoid common misconceptions about wood.

Correctly specified timber products are crucial to helping move the construction industry towards building more sustainable buildings that create the optimum environment for occupants, and capitalise on timber’s inherent properties as a construction material.

To help with continued learning the  British Woodworking Federation (BWF)  has invested in a number of resources to evolve learning and ensure that the industry can make informed choices about wood as a building material. All of the BWF learning resources are based on the very latest information.

Interactive Wood Window and Door CPDi

In addition to exploring how timber and modern manufacturing methods can create spaces that promote lower carbon emissions, the BWF Wood Window and Door CPDi  also explores how the incorporation of timber can help to reduce stress and provide a connection to nature for building occupants. The educational programme is broken down into bitesize chunks based on key themes, and each session can be taken alone, or as part of the wider series.

Four modules are currently available to access free of charge, these explore:

-       the circular economy;

-       the benefits of timber school buildings;

-       building nature into architecture; and

-       the natural evolution of the wooden window.

Providing practical guidance and support with specification, the modules offer a comprehensive overview of how high performance, quality buildings can be created with the use of timber products, with a specific focus on windows and doors.

Access the Wood Window and Door CPDi here.

 A Focus on Fire Doors

Correct specification is important for any product, but for fire doors it can mean the difference between life and death. To help demystify the fire door market, the BWF Fire Door Alliance has created a series of e-learning modules, the first of which provides an introduction to timber fire doors and is available free of charge.

 ‘Introduction to Fire Doors’ provides a sound understanding of timber fire doors and their components, covering why we need fire doors, how they are tested and the regulations they need to comply with. To access this free module, click here.

In addition, the BWF Fire Door Alliance can deliver a more in depth seminar in person. Ideal for groups of 10 or more, the seminars last for approximately two hours and are subject to a small charge; for further detail contact Peter Clifton, BWF Scheme Manager – peter.clifton@bwf.org.uk

Steps to stair safety

The staircase is often the central feature of a new home, and for self-builds, it offers the opportunity to put a unique and personal stamp on a property.

A central and frequently-used feature of any home, often design flair can compromise the safety of a staircase. Designers must balance aesthetic design with safety.

Recognising this, the BWF Stair Scheme promotes best practice in stair design and has a wealth of information on its website to help ensure that design flair and safety are carefully balanced. To access the BWF Stair Design guides and the BWF Stair Installation Guide visit the Scheme website by clicking here.

 By Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF)