From the September issue of 'MMC'

The affordable housing sector has always led the way in terms of its delivery of zero carbon communities. With pressure to build to higher codes than the private housing sector it’s no surprise that affordable housing providers have focused their efforts on achieving a thermally efficient fabric which has resulted in high level penetration of timber frame in this sector.

Frame Wise MD Simon Orrells explains why when it comes to affordable housing, timber frame continues to dominate. “Affordable housing accommodation has moved on in significant terms when it comes to design and quality – in many communities it’s virtually impossible to define which homes are private housing and which are affordable. But one thing is for sure affordable housing is cutting edge in terms of its appetite for building homes for the future and timber frame plays a massive part in that programme. For the affordable housing market it’s vital that to limit long term maintenance costs there is real emphasis on building zero carbon homes without the need for expensive bolt-on technologies. The factory precision of timber frame manufacture affords our clients absolute peace of mind that they are delivering homes that will outperform any other build method in terms of quality, fabric efficiency and long term cost efficiency.

But achieving fabric efficiency is just one benefit of timber frame. For many Housing Associations getting homes built quickly can be a big challenge – another reason why timber frame is perfect in the affordable housing market. Simon continues: “the affordable housing market has a unique set of criteria by which it needs to build homes, unlike the private housing market where homes are built almost to demand, the necessity to build homes quickly in the affordable housing market means that timber frame really suits this market. Add to that the complexity of building schemes on restricted sites or infill sites in town centre locations then the ability to build offsite really plays a critical role.

“Affordable housing will continue to play a critical role in providing homes for millions of people across the UK. Critically, these homes need to deliver optimum performance for the life time of the home and ensure that both tenants and registered providers aren’t crippled by expensive maintenance and repair bills for bolt-on green technologies.”