Urban development organisation Centre for Cities estimates that, after years of failing to keep pace in house building with comparable economies, the country is short of 4.3 million dwellings. The Labour government has pledged to build 1.5 million homes over the next few years and, in addition to this, the sector must build more sustainable homes if the country is to stand a chance of meeting its 2050 net-zero environmental target.
Faced with the need to build faster and greener, the growing consensus in the construction sector and among policy makers is that we should build more with bio-based materials, notably wood. According to UK timber frame sector body the Structural Timber Association, building with timber offers multiple environmental benefits.
Unlike energy intensive, finite material-based construction materials, such as steel and concrete, timber is renewable. It also absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere as it grows and stores it for the life of the wood product. It offers the potential to turn the built environment into a major carbon sink and is an inherent insulant, helping deliver energy efficient homes.
THE HIGH-SPEED ROUTE TO MEET HOUSING NEEDS
Speed of build is another inherent advantage and attraction of turning to timber construction. Being strong and light, timber is easier to handle than concrete and steel, and generally more forgiving and flexible. It’s no coincidence that timber frame is used most in
Scotland, accounting for more than 90% of newbuild housing.
The country’s challenging climate gives a narrower construction window and really puts the emphasis on getting a weathertight building shell up as quickly as possible. This has helped make timber frame the default option. These shorter site times allow for cost-savings – a critical factor as the industry seeks more budget-friendly solutions without compromising quality. Combined with timber frame’s ‘seamless alignment’ with revisions to Building Regulation Part L on building U-values and carbon footprint, it delivers a straightforward, cost-effective route to compliance compared to traditional brick and block methods.
The UK government evidently sees the multiple merits of building more with wood. Working with the timber and building industries and academia it has drawn up the Timber in Construction Roadmap, which was updated in 2025.
The roadmap has a dual focus; how to increase domestic timber production and grow the timber building sector to use the wood. It sees the benefits of achieving these goals as environmental, economic and social. And it notes that, while timber frame construction is the prime approach in Scotland, it is still relatively underdeveloped in other countries in the UK. This creates an ‘opportunity to unlock this industry at scale and at speed’.The UK government is supporting the development of offsite, modular construction with a £10 billion project to increase its use in public buildings.
A total of 29 firms have been selected by the Crown Commercial Service to be a part of its offsite construction framework, commissioned to supply prefabricated modular buildings to government departments. That includes social housing, schools, and healthcare facilities.
Products and technologies are being developed to accentuate timber construction’s inherent advantages and support market growth. Factory applied products, such as resin-based Arctek Dryshell offers an innovative factory-applied, weather-resistant barrier for OSB and other wood-based panels. It’s designed to underpin timber construction, build quality and boost construction efficiency. www.arclin.com