PEFC - PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE

CONSTRUCTION THROUGH
CERTIFIED TIMBER

Architects, designers and those specifying building materials across UK construction projects are
regularly turning to timber as a central part of the building structure, for interior design elements
and as a way to deliver the next generation of energy efficient and sustainable buildings.

Timber is fully renewable and has the lowest embodied carbon of any commercially available
building material. When specifying certified timber you can be confident that the material you are
choosing is a simple and straightforward way to achieve a high-performance sustainable building
fabric with fantastic additional thermal and acoustic performance.

City of London Freemen’s School swimming pool

PEFC & SOLID WOOD CONSTRUCTION
The use of engineered timber systems
and products such as Cross Laminated
Timber (CLT) and glulam are an
increasingly popular and fashionable way
to build strong and stable structures and
bring a striking architectural dimension
to modern building design. Glulam and
CLT are commonly made from PEFC-
certified Spruce or Larch and act as a
natural and renewable alternative to steel
and concrete. Large vertical or horizontal
glulam beams deliver huge interior spans
without supporting columns with the scope
to introduce huge swathes of natural light
to large open spaces.
Across the world, the international design
community is embracing CLT and glulam
to deliver high profile, award winning
projects from houses, schools and hotels
to restaurants, theatres and supermarkets.
CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER: THE COUNTY DOWN BARN, COUNTY DOWN, NI.
The County Down Barn is a
contemporary take on a traditional barn
conversion formed of a one-storey cross
laminated timber (CLT) structure installed
above a restored stone agricultural
building. Built on a limited budget and
timescale, it is located on a tight site with
stunning views across the Mourne Hills of
County Down.
CLT has enhanced thermal and
airtightness performance – a major
benefit as all the insulation on the house
is external. Other key considerations were
CLT’s structural ability to achieve the
clean, long spans. The Barn is laid out as
Glulam is also ideally suited to corrosive
environments such as swimming pools.
PEFC-certified solid wood is at the
heart of two of the UK’s groundbreaking
multi-storey buildings – Stadthaus, Murray
Grove and Bridport House.
an upside-down house with the main living
space on the first floor and the bedrooms
at ground floor level. The house is long
and narrow and the CLT upper floor
creates a ‘tunnel of timber’ effect, formed
of one long open span. Internally, the CLT
has been left exposed throughout.
CLT off-cuts from the windows and doors
are used to form the staircase which
links the ground floor sleeping areas to
the living space. The staircase narrows
gradually from the bottom until it arrives
at the centrally located first floor landing,
or ‘hub’ which acts as a family room with a
mezzanine play space above. To one side
Solid Wood Delivers
• Exceptional Structural Performance
• Reduced Risk & Speedy Construction
• Lightweight Material
• Thermal Insulation & Airtightness
• Design Appeal
Malvern College, Worcestershire
The County Down Barn,
County Down, Northern Ireland
of the hub, at the top end of the house, is
the kitchen, dining space and living area or
‘snug’ which is all formed of one space.
Architect Micah Jones made contact with
CLT manufacturer Stora Enso UK who
introduced him to G-frame Structures,
one of their UK partners to deliver the
project. “CLT is a fast, efficient method
of construction,” he says. “Our site is up
a long, winding lane with several sharp
bends and these site constraints prove
that with a little planning CLT can be used
wherever the truck can get to.” The County
Down Barn is Northern Ireland’s first
completed CLT building.
 PEFC PROJECT CERTIFICATION
When it comes to
individual construction
projects, the construction
industry faces specific challenges when
proving that the timber specified and
supplied is from certified sustainable sources.
Architects and building specifiers can now
opt for PEFC Project Certification.
This has been designed as a mechanism for
gaining independent verification of the use
of certified timber in a one-off project such
as a construction project which has a limited
duration.
PEFC Project Chain of Custody
certification recognises that not all parties
PROJECT CERTIFICATION: KINGSGATE HOUSE
Kingsgate House, a seven-storey
residential project in West London is the
first major construction project in the world
to achieve PEFC Project Certification.
Located on the King’s Road, Kingsgate
House provides 43 affordable residential
units. Designed by Horden Cherry Lee
Architects (HCL) and built by main
contractor Willmott Dixon, the structure
contains 1092m3 of PEFC-certified CLT
supplied by KLH UK.
“Reasons for the use of CLT have to
be taken early in the design process to
ensure the design evolves as an integrated
solution, says Stephen Cherry, from
involved in specific projects are certified,
even though forest-based material used for
the project is covered by Chain of Custody
certification. Usually, the fact that non-certified
parties handle certified material would break
the chain, and this is where PEFC Project
Chain of Custody comes into play.
With PEFC Project Chain of Custody, the
specific project is considered to be the ‘product’
to which the Chain of Custody process is
applied. In practice, this means that the Project
Manager obtains a Chain of Custody certificate
for project certification. Contractors working on
this project are covered as Project Members
and are not required to obtain Chain of
Custody certification themselves.
Kingsgate House, London
HCL. “At Kingsgate we have all worked
together at every stage and for this
project to be the UK’s first PEFC Project
Certified scheme is recognition of this
holistic design approach to sustainable
construction.”
“CLT has brought many benefits to
this project which is based in a densely
populated and busy part of London,”
said Julie Brooks, Environmental and
Sustainability Manager for Willmott Dixon.
“As a form of construction, CLT has saved
time and money and reduced the amount
of embodied carbon on the scheme.
Willmott Dixon wanted to demonstrate
that our processes and supply chain
Cambridge University
can deliver in line with our sustainable
procurement policy.”
At Kingsgate House 100% of wood
products supplied are certified as ‘legal
and sustainable’ and the scheme achieved
96.3% PEFC-certified timber by volume,
which posed no difficulties in material
sourcing.
“As firm believers that timber is the one
truly renewable construction material
but also a viable alternative to traditional
methods of construction, KLH were
delighted to be involved in such a
prestigious project and help the team
achieve PEFC Project Certification.” said
Toby Reynolds, Commercial Director for
KLH UK. “The whole supply chain had
to follow strict guidelines and KLH learnt
a lot along the journey. This is a massive
step for the industry and is invaluable
for the future of timber construction and
we will definitely be promoting Project
Certification in the future.”
After a detailed and rigorous auditing
process of the Kingsgate supply chain
carried out by Exova BM TRADA, the
Project Certification status provides
robust independent assurance that all
timber used on the project is from legal
and sustainable sources in line with the
Government’s timber procurement policy.
ABOUT PEFC

PEFC (Programme for Endorsement
of Forest Certification) is an
international non-profit, non-governmental
organisation dedicated to promoting
Sustainable Forest Management
through independent third-party
certification. PEFC is an umbrella
organisation. It works by endorsing
national forest certification systems
developed collaboratively by all interested
stakeholders and tailored to local priorities
and conditions. National forest certification
schemes undergo rigorous third party
assessment against PEFC’s unique
Sustainability Benchmarks.
PEFC has recognised certification systems
in 39 countries. Together these account
for over 300 million hectares of certified
forests, making PEFC the world’s largest
forest and wood product certification
system. It applies the highest ecological,
social and ethical standards to forest
management and is the certification
system of choice for family and
community-owned forests.
At its core is an independently verified
Chain of Custody process which tracks
certified material from the forest to the end
user enabling companies to make accurate
claims on the content of certified material.
Photo credits: Stora Enso, B&K Structures, Junckers Flooring, Matt Khawam, Metsa Wood, Hawkins Brown LLP, Wiehag GmbH, Micah Jones
It proves that each step of the supply
chain from the forest to the end user has
been monitored closely with independent
auditing.
PEFC CHAIN OF CUSTODY
CERTIFICATION
To date, almost 20,000 companies are
involved with PEFC Chain of Custody
certification. PEFC’s distinctive ‘two
trees’ logo transcends language barriers
making it a truly global brand. For further
information about the PEFC programme in
the UK visit www.pefc.co.uk

FURTHER INFORMATION
For more information on PEFC and solid
wood visit http://tinyurl.com/p6rrq5

You can also download two specific

brochures: Architects, Designers
and PEFC Certified Timber and
Construction and PEFC Certified
Timber from http://tinyurl.com/o8ff5xn

For more information on Kingsgate

House, PEFC Project Certification and
a promotional video on the building and
certification approach for Kingsgate House
visit: http://tinyurl.com/o4trfj4

You can also download two specific

brochures: PEFC Project Chain of
Custody Certification: An Introduction
and PEFC Project Chain of Custody
Certification: One Project, One
Message from http://tinyurl.com/o8ff5xn

PEFC UK
Sheffield Technology Parks Heritage Centre, Gateshead
Cooper Buildings
Arundel Street
Sheffield S1 2NS
t +44 (0)114 307 2334
e info@pefc.co.uk
w www.pefc.co.uk