Built using timber from the client’s woodland which had been earmarked for felling due to larch disease, the UK Hardwoods Storage Building is a remarkable example of local businesses working together to make use of timber in a sustainable and creative way.

Commissioned by Tom Bedford, managing director of UK Hardwoods, the 32 x 18 metre insulated glulam shed is used to store kiln-dried timber milled by UK Hardwoods at their North Devon sawmill site.

The clear-span design, with soaring boomerang roof beams and no central posts, is both visually appealing and highly functional. The glulam frame was locally manufactured by Buckland Timber, and consists of posts and pitched, curved rafter beams. The structure is clad in prefabricated larch and sheep’s wool insulated panels, and is heated using waste woodchips.

The whole lifecycle of the building was considered, from construction to function, to its potential deconstruction in years to come. While the project took a year overall, the build itself was completed in just four days. The outcome is a calming, natural space for those who work in it, and an impressive demonstration of the strength and beauty of timber for visiting customers.

Thought to currently be the largest UK-grown glulam structure ever made, the entire project occurred within a 27-mile radius, including the felling and sawing of the timber, design, manufacture and installation.