As we head into July, I thought it would be a good time to provide a quick update on the exciting activities happening at TDUK.
Beginning with education, we’re delighted to announce a new strategic partnership with Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE). With ENU we are creating the largest, comprehensive online library of technical specification and design guidance in the UK. From launch, we will have 150 reports authored by leading wood science and timber specialists covering topics from wood anatomy through to explanation of standards and specification of mass timber products. All of these reports will be free to download and use for all members of TDUK.
In addition, as part of our mission to grow the use of wood through the education of a future generation of specifiers, these reports will be used to underpin and inform a set of short practical courses being developed by NMITE’s Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) in partnership with TDUK. These short courses, due to launch in the Autumn, known as “Timber TED” will be aimed at giving learners practical experience in solving design-based challenges, using the TDUK Knowledge Library.
Another exciting educational development comes in the form of our University Design Challenge which concludes this month. The University Design Challenge is a unique initiative, giving students the chance to work in multi-disciplinary teams – rather than the silos they sometimes study in – on a real-world site, collaborating and competing with peers from across the country. This year’s challenge was to design an exemplary community building that produces more energy than it consumes, at Southside in Hereford.
The award ceremony will take place on 22 July in Hereford, where the judges have the unenviable task of choosing a winner from this year’s excellent cohort! We look forward to welcoming all the entrants for an action-packed day of competition and celebration.
This month will also see the deadline for entries into the 2022 Wood Awards, back by popular demand, has now been extended to 15 July. The Wood Awards is the most prestigious award in the UK for wood-based buildings, interior design and furniture projects and we hope the extended deadline will add to the already exceptional entrants in this year’s competition. Be sure to get your entry in before the deadline here.
Finally, there has been an exciting policy development in the last few weeks as the Embodied Carbon Bill, initially tabled by Duncan Baker MP, has returned to parliament under the helm of Jerome Mayhew MP. Tabled on 20 June, this motion aims to ensure that whole-life carbon emissions are reported upon construction and that legal limits are in place to ensure embodied emissions are reduced, following on from a campaign by the construction industry for the inclusion of a ‘Part Z’ in building regulations. The bill is due for a second reading on November 25.
Embodied carbon is a huge problem in the UK, accounting for up to 75% of a building’s lifetime greenhouse gas emissions. By regulating these emissions, the government can incentivise the use of low-carbon materials such as timber and achieve both its climate change and sustainable housing goals. For this bill to progress, however, it needs considerable support from across the house. For this reason, we call on our members to back this bill by writing to your local MP using this template letter.
The letter contains highlighted areas that simply need to be filled out according to your personal details. If you have any questions regarding this bill or the letter, please do not hesitate to contact Jack jclappen@ttf.co.uk who will be happy to help.