Largest UK Grown Timber Glulam Shed......
Managing director and owner of UK Hardwoods was asked by Oliver Lowestein of Fourth Door Research to speak at Pioneering the Potential 2024. Tom spoke with Robin Nicholson from Buckland Timber about the construction of our very own Glulaminated storage shed.
Held in Lewes, Sussex, the Fourth Door Review talk started off with a tour focusing on the redevelopment of Phoenix Industrial Park, a 7.9 hectare brownfield site within the South Downs National Park. Human Nature, a campaigning development company have purchased the site and offered an informal insight to the redevelopment before the evening’s talks began.
The image on the right shows the foundations of the Glulaminated Shed.
The development plans to prioritise sustainable values without greenwashing. Restrictions on vehicle use, power from renewable energy and social design are all key aspect of the designs so far. With construction looking to begin in 2025, the evening then moved on to talk about natural materials within the construction sector and how we can begin to use timber more effectively in our designs.
The talks began with Miguel Chavez-Cornejo discussing Hooke Park’s latest ‘The Tree & The Truss’ project. Highlighted in this talk was the possibility of using technology within architecture to better utilise the natural geometry of a tree. The benefit of this technology would allow us to use underutilised tress that otherwise have to structural purpose.
Initial Design Drawings ......
Tom and Robin then took to the stage to discuss our glulam wood storage shed and how the construction came about. From the use of an otherwise chip standard larch, to the timely construction of 4 days, the duo took on a story telling role. We still have the original drawings that Tom and Robin briefly drew in their first design meeting.
Such emphasis on the effective reduction of building’s heating, lighting and other energy expenditure, has meant that the ration between this and ‘extraction energy’ (which includes processing, manufacturing and transportation) has increased. We are constantly now looking for ways to lower this energy figure and locally sourced timber is one of those. Although the talks were held in East Sussex, on a grand global scale, this is very local to us compared with the importation of EU or further afield timbers.
The Fourth Door Review talks opened up a way for ideas to be shared and discussed. A gathering of like minded individuals and companies coming together to generate thoughts around the timber industry and its direction within construction. We were delighted to have been included by Oliver in one of the Pioneering the Potential events which have been running since 2019, and look forward to a world of more timber within construction.
