Why Is Timber Frame Construction More Popular in the UK than in Ireland - Coursework Example

Topic: Why is timber frame construction more popular in the UK than in Ireland? Introduction: “Home sweet home” is a famous proverb the world over. Human beings build homes for shelter from the natural elements, privacy, a haven and most importantly to last for more than a lifetime. From pre-historic period man has taken refuge in the trees or caves, and as development took place started building huts of twigs and leaves and then progressed to materials like animal skins. Nothing seemed to last for long, so man experimented with logs and later timber – cut and shaped to size for the purpose. Then in some parts of the world man discovered cement, bricks, steel and other modern components to build homes and buildings which were found to be longer lasting and more permanent. However, houses made of bricks and cement also had their loop-holes like dampness, water-seepage, building collapse and high energy costs in cold regions. People found timber frame construction of the past still hold good in many places and standing firm – thus houses made of wood came back in the vogue for more reasons than one. Reasons for choosing timber frames for construction: The climatic and geographical conditions of a place can be either conducive or not conducive to such building materials, as the case maybe and the cultural roots of the people of the region are very good reasons. Next would be the resource capacity – acquiring the timber in large quantities without harming the eco-system. The comparative costs involved, between the traditional system of building with bricks, mortar, cement and the timber frame construction system, also play a vital role in the decision making. The quality of keeping out the elements and keeping the house warm in cold climate and cool in hot climates are also major factors. Another big factor is the educated awareness of the residents of the region about timber frame construction – its eco-friendliness, its availability, rules and regulations governing such constructions, mortgages and loans given for timber houses, longevity and energy-saving qualities. These are some of the reasons why house owners place more faith on timber frame constructions compared to other methods of building. The downside to this type of construction is its presumable susceptibility to fire but much has been written about it besides being investigated into and proven otherwise. The average wealth and income of the people of the place is a great driving force for changes in thoughts and ideas and constructions. The above considerations may be some plausible reasons for timber frame constructions being more popular in the UK than in Ireland. Ireland: In the http://www.eduvinet.de/eduvinet/irl010.htm site it mentions that the average income of Irish people was less by two-thirds of that of British people – a study in 1996. This site also mentions the economy has grown by more than seven percent and was expected to cross eight percent in the year 1997. This reality is further underlined in the website called movetoireland says: “The industry predicts that by 2010 half of all new houses in Ireland will be built using timber frame construction.” “Remember this key fact about Ireland: the place is wet!” is a statement in the movetoireland site. Ireland has the strong influence of the North Atlantic Ocean compared to England and, “consequently, its climate is a little wetter the year round, milder in winter and cooler and cloudier in summer”- as the BBC states in this http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003910 site. Comparatively, the climate in Britain is “notoriously variable and changeable from day to day” as BBC further says in http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003790. The climate in Ireland influences people against wooden houses as these get wet and may not be able to stand the strong ocean winds – a common belief. The movetoireland site aptly says: “Its a real nice feeling when the winter winds are throwing huge chunks of the Atlantic Ocean at your window to know that theres a couple of layers of cement and waterproof liners between you and the nastiness outside.” Culturally Irish people are slightly more conservative and therefore reluctant to change with every wind. The people of this place have stood rock-solid against the tirades of the ocean so far, and movetoireland continues: “Despite the 70% of houses built worldwide of wood, the modern Irish have been reluctant to rely on rottable wood for protection from the rain. Until, that is, people see the system going up on a new house. Then theyre frequently converted.” Simply put, when more and more house owners in Ireland dare to take the challenge of timber, the trend will set in slowly. So by the time it becomes popular in Ireland timber frame construction will have been truly tried and tested for its quality. However, the timber frame houses in Ireland so far have cement in the outer layer with the inner layer being wood. The eduvinet site states that only five percent of Ireland is covered with forest and woodland; this topography obviously has an effect on timber availability in the country, which means costly imports of the material. Besides, tax and regulations on such activities also need to be taken into consideration. Compared to some countries, which have 70% to 90% timber frame constructions, Ireland had about only 5% such newly built houses in 1992 but an increased projection of market share of nearly 30% and above is foreseen, as per the site – thinktimberframe. UK had a market share of 21% in the year 2006 as per this same website. The site called constructireland has some practical observations and facts from March 2004: “Acceptance of timber frame benefits by regulatory bodies, specifiers, insurers, lenders and knowledgeable consumers is increasing, but lack of knowledge or misinformation can still restrict market prospects. This highly engineered value for money product should be secured against weaknesses and threats from such factors as inappropriate stick building operators with inadequate standards, procedures and practices, low entry barriers to the industry and misinformation on regulatory, safety, insurance and mortgage prospects.” It continues to say: “We have several customers who are very upset that they could not avail of the Rural renewal tax incentive scheme. They are to lose tens of thousands of euro. It seems to be the case that the house had to be built in concrete blocks or by a specific timber-frame/cement-block company to be eligible! The NSAI requirements are unrealistic and will act as a serious block for development and competition.” NSAI stands for the National Standards Authority of Ireland. The mortgage and insurance covers are the same for timber constructions as with other traditional brick-mortar constructions in Ireland. The NSAI in its June 2009 news website talks about a new Irish Standard for timber construction called I.S.440 as the country has seen considerable demand of timber frame houses in the last seventeen years. NSAI quotes some industry experts who predicted a rise of 50% in market share as it has already seen a rise of 20%in 2008. More from the site: “NSAI is planning a number of initiatives to further reinforce the requirements set out in I.S.440. These include a National Register of Approved Timber Frame Erectors, training courses and also the provision of Information Sheets on I.S.440.” IJM is a timber frame manufacturer for the Republic of Ireland and the UK, has the following regulations in its site as provided by the National Building Regulations effective from 30 June 2008: U Value walls 0.27W/m2K Renewables 10KWhr/m2/annum Air Permeability 10m3/ (hr.m2) – Test Required Boiler Efficiency 86% Heat Recovery Efficiency 66% High Efficiency Lighting The above regulations are valid till 2010, when new standards will be issued by the Regulatory authorities. IJM has a slogan: “cradle to grave”, which probably fully covers the sustainability of timber frame constructions. United Kingdom: From early piled up wooden cabins to log cabins to lapped board siding wall timber structures and now modern timber frame buildings, this particular building material is gaining its past glory and is becoming popular – cost wise and more importantly ecologically. The BBC has this to say: “One in four new homes built in the UK is timber framed. They are easier to construct and considered more eco-friendly than traditionally built homes.” Though this is an eco-friendly industry, timber frame construction has yet to be accepted by millions of modern house owners because of its susceptibility to fire – or as views are about the wooden structures. The RIBA journal quotes Sam Webb, an architect: “Despite extensive testing, timber frame buildings have never thoroughly shaken off suspicions of susceptibility to fire.” On this score a report by BBC: “The fire service says these buildings are completely safe as long as fire prevention measures are not compromised, but that occupants may not realise that DIY or even professional building work may increase the risk of fire spreading.” A Site Safe Scheme has been introduced by the UK Timber Frame Association, especially since there are timber buildings exposed to vandalism and arson. Further the CEO of ttf, John White says in his blog: “Thankfully, most people understand that fire is a serious issue and that all buildings need to be fire safe.  And they are.  A recent Government Report showed that last year roughly 800 fires were in timber frame buildings and 47,000 in other forms of construction.  There is no greater likelihood of a fire in a timber frame building than in a building built with other mainstream materials. It also showed that one in eight fires in half constructed buildings were in timber frame.” He goes on to say: “ The Report provides a lot of information that will help the timber frame sector, Government and others understand if there is an issue and what needs to be done about it. It is too serious an issue from which to take putative commercial advantage.”   In spite of the controversial topic of vulnerability to fire, the ttf or timber trade federation had this to say about the timber frame construction business in the UK: “Following the worst trading performance for over 50 years in 2008, the year 2009 witnessed further decline in the quantity of timber and panel products consumed in the UK. However, despite the continued decline, 2009 was a year of mixed fortune for suppliers.” About 2010, the ttf says: “The first quarter of 2010 has seen import volumes of softwood and hardwood increase by nearly 13% over the same period in 2009 and the import volume of panel products is also 12% higher over the same period. The result is an overall combined import volume 13% up on the previous year.” The BRE (Building Research Establishment UK) says the CLG or the department for Communities and Local Government has published revised building regulations and calculation methods for England and Wales in their websites, which in turn benefit many builders and house owners in the UK. This translates into more awareness due to deeper penetration of the internet in UK, maybe. A good reason for the timber frame construction being more popular here is because the right to information is more accessible to the common man. Besides, BRE also had informative training program for builders before the onset of the winter months in November 2010. These courses were offered at a discount and had such topics as - How to Identify and Survey Modern Methods of Construction, Energy Management System BS EN 16001, Introduction to Renewables and others. This was in the news section of the BRE website published on 4/11/2010. The NSAI has yet to launch any such training programs, which is a sure method of educating the people and making them aware of the timber revolution. Conclusion: After investigating the various sources – some of them renowned – the notion that timber framed construction is more popular in the UK than in Ireland may not be so true for long. The economic condition of Ireland has become much healthier leading to greater developments in all areas of life which translates into more awareness and better living-styles. People are becoming aware of ways to cut construction costs without giving up on quality and strength; aware of the aesthetic value of timber framed houses; aware of decreasing carbon emissions in this frail world. The Irish government is ready with more stringent measures to ensure only genuine players in this field thus encouraging people to put more faith in this industry and build more cost-effective timber framed houses and buildings that are comfortable, energy saving, eco-friendly, strong and visually magnificent. References: 1. http://www.movetoireland.com/movepag/houswood.htm (accessed on 26/11/2010) 2. http://www.constructireland.ie/articles/0204timber.php (accessed on26/11/2010) 3. http://www.constructireland.ie/vb/archive/index.php/t-25.html (accessed on 27/11/2010) 4. http://www.ribajournal.com/index.php/feature/article/smouldering_issue_july10/ (RIBA) (accessed on 27/11/2010) 5. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11354139 (accessed on 8/12/2010) 6. http://ttf.co.uk/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=792bc739-6cf0-493f-8052-acb36412bad8 (accessed on 8/12/2010) 7. http://www.ijm.ie/html/tech_regulations.asp (accessed on 7/12/2010) 8. http://www.2010ncm.bre.co.uk/. (accessed on 9/12/2010) 9. http://www.bre.co.uk/newsdetails.jsp?id=703 (accessed on 9/12/2010) 10. http://www.eduvinet.de/eduvinet/irl010.htm (accessed on 10/12/2010) 11. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003910 (accessed on 10/12/2010) 12. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003790 (accessed on 10/12/2010) 13. http://www.nsai.ie/Special-Pages/News/NSAI-launches-new-Timber-Frame.aspx (accessed on 10/12/2010) Read More