Delivering sustainable low energy housing with softwood timber frame
BRE (Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries.
Delivering sustainable low energy housing with softwood timber frame (IP3/15) was written by Mark Waghorn, Ed Suttie and Andrew Sutton and published by BRE on 13 January 2015.
Although timber frame has been a popular method for delivering housing in much of Europe and the US throughout the last century, this has historically not been the case in the UK. Cultural attitudes have resulted in a preference for masonry construction for its perceived permanence, and media coverage of timber-frame construction problems in the 1980s further affected people’s perceptions of this method. However, the cost benefits and convenience of construction with timber have meant it is increasingly favoured as a construction method in the 21st century.
Building with timber frame is one of the most sustainable methods of delivering new housing. If it is correctly managed, timber can be a renewable resource with lower embodied energy than masonry or concrete.
This 12-page information paper describes common approaches to timber framing in the UK and how these are evolving to meet the increasing demand for high performance, low energy housing. Case studies are also provided illustrating three approaches to low energy timber-frame residential construction.
The contents of the information paper are:
- Introduction.
- Description of the most common timber frame methods today.
- Adapting today’s methods for low energy standards.
- Issues relating to sourcing and processing timber.
- Conclusions.
- References and notes, and further reading.
[edit] Find out more.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- A guide to the use of urban timber FB 50.
- Balloon framing.
- BRE articles on Designing Buildings Wiki.
- BRE Buzz articles on Designing Buildings Wiki.
- BRE Buzz.
- BREEAM.
- Building Research Establishment.
- Embodied energy.
- Sustainable materials.
- Sustainable timber.
- Timber frame.
- Timber framed buildings and fire.
- Types of timber.
Featured articles and news
Solar panels, pitched roofs and risk of fire spread
60% increase in solar panel fires prompts tests and installation warnings.
Modernising heat networks with Heat interface unit
Why HIUs hold the key to efficiency upgrades.
Reflecting on the work of the CIOB Academy
Looking back on 2025 and where it's going next.
Procurement in construction: Knowledge hub
Brief, overview, key articles and over 1000 more covering procurement.
Sir John Betjeman’s love of Victorian church architecture.
Exchange for Change for UK deposit return scheme
The UK Deposit Management Organisation established to deliver Deposit Return Scheme unveils trading name.
A guide to integrating heat pumps
As the Future Homes Standard approaches Future Homes Hub publishes hints and tips for Architects and Architectural Technologists.
BSR as a standalone body; statements, key roles, context
Statements from key figures in key and changing roles.
ECA launches Welsh Election Manifesto
ECA calls on political parties at 100 day milestone to the Senedd elections.
Resident engagement as the key to successful retrofits
Retrofit is about people, not just buildings, from early starts to beyond handover.
Plastic, recycling and its symbol
Student competition winning, M.C.Esher inspired Möbius strip design symbolising continuity within a finite entity.
Do you take the lead in a circular construction economy?
Help us develop and expand this wiki as a resource for academia and industry alike.
Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce
Risks of undermining UK’s energy transition due to lack of electrotechnical industry representation, says ECA.
Cost Optimal Domestic Electrification CODE
Modelling retrofits only on costs that directly impact the consumer: upfront cost of equipment, energy costs and maintenance costs.
The Warm Homes Plan details released
What's new and what is not, with industry reactions.