High Castle™ HC factory Why Timber Frame?

Why Timber Frame?

Timber frame is one of the world’s most common forms of construction.

In North America and Scandinavia, 90% of all low-rise houses are built in timber. Fast and dry erection, good thermal and sound insulation and sustainability are some of the important factors making timber frame the fastest growing modern method of construction in the UK. Easy to maintain and versatile it exceeds the performance of traditionally built properties.
Due to rising energy costs, tighter government regulations on sustainability (Code for Sustainable Homes) High Castle has chosen Timber Frame construction as The Way Forward, as it is increasingly harder to meet these regulations using outdated conventional methods. Sustainable building does not necessarily mean it should be more expensive — at least with High Castle it doesn’t. Utilising the most effective off-site manufacturing solutions, we help increase the quality of your new build, as well as save considerable amounts of time and money.

Timber Frame should not only be considered for residential sector — it is particularly suited for volume build. The considerable savings that can be gained from off-site prefabrication and the use of efficient erection techniques make multi-storey timber frame very attractive. Supermarkets, hotels, student/social housing and industrial buildings up to 8 storeys are nowadays increasingly built in timber.

Twelve serious reasons for the private builder and the construction industry to choose Timber Frame:

1. Quick to erect — reduces capital lock up.
2. Lightweight — can be used on brownfield sites/sites with difficult land conditions.
3. Modular components are easy to transport.
4. Engineered components, built to recognised quality assured standards, reduce the need for site skills.
5. Dry — gives a clean site and it’s quick to decorate.
6. Craning — can be craned in for tight inner city sites.
7. Prefabricated — strict quality control, fewer post erection quality/ snagging problems.
8. Design responsive — can go to 6 storeys.
9. Superior sound performance, meeting all new regulations.
10. Modular approach — excellent for volume build, social /student etc housing and hotels.
11. Completed buildings can be clad in any standard finish — stone, brick, render, tile etc. giving maximum «kerb appeal.»
12. Sustainable construction — responds to the environmental agenda of many partnership projects and social housing procurers.

There is now an overwhelming body of scientific evidence showing that climate change is a serious and urgent issue. In 2004, more than a quarter of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions – a major cause of climate change – came from the energy we use to heat, light and run our homes. So it’s vital to ensure that homes are built in a way that minimises the use of energy and reduces these harmful emissions.
More sustainable homes can also provide us with improved overall well-being and quality of life.

Wood For Good

Wood is the only carbon neutral construction material. Strength for strength timber uses 5 times less energy to produce than concrete and 6 times less than steel.^*

Every Cubic metre of wood used in construction saves 0.8 tonne of CO₂ from the atmosphere. Every timber frame home built saves an average of 4 tonnes of CO₂.^**

* Source: Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management Carbon Calculator.
** Source: TRADA 100m³ 2 storey detached timber frame house.

Code for Sustainable Homes

The Code for Sustainable Homes has been introduced to drive a step-change in sustainable home building practice. It is a standard for key elements of design and construction which affect the sustainability of a new home. It will become the single national standard for sustainable homes, used by home designers and builders as a guide to development, and by home-buyers to assist in their choice of home. It will form the basis for future developments of the Building Regulations in relation to carbon emissions from, and energy use in homes, therefore offering greater regulatory certainty to developers. And in this era of environmental awareness amongst consumers and increasing demand for a more sustainable product, it will offer a tool for developers to differentiate themselves. If we build the homes we need, then by 2050, as much as one-third of the total housing stock will have been built between now and then. Current house building plans therefore offer an important opportunity to build high standards of sustainability into the homes we will use in the future. The

Code for Sustainable Homes will play a key role in enabling us to seize this opportunity, and to build a future housing stock which both meets our needs and protects the environment.
(Source: Communities & Local Government)

As of 2010, CSH Level 3 is already the minimum required standard for all government funded social housing, with private sector to follow on October 2010, when Building Regulations will be strengthened to include CSH Code 3.

The trajectory for future changes to Building Regulations is set out as follows and applies to both social and private dwellings:
Ø  2010: 25% improvement on 2006 Building Regulations.
Ø  2013: 44% improvement on 2006 Building Regulations.
Ø  2016: zero carbon i.e. ~150% improvement on 2006 Building Regulations.  

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