A Future in Timber - Wombat Construction
With a pedigree as Master Carpenters, Wombat Construction envisage a future of sustainable building practices as well as functional and healthy homes.
James Cornell (JC), Master Carpenter and Director of Wombat Construction Ltd, is on a mission to revolutionise the UK construction industry. Wombat Construction specialises in timber framed buildings. Verity Barry (VB), Practice Manager at SIX AD catches up with James and asks whether we're getting closer to a zero carbon future.
Introduction
VB : James, thanks for taking the time out to answer some questions today. Can you tell me about your background and the lead up to you establishing Wombat Construction?
JC : I worked as a carpenter from the age of 17 in Sheffield, making bespoke furniture. That’s my background, master carpentry. There has been some overlap with my music career and I combined them both when I moved into building recording studios.
Out of that time, I made contact with various property developers whom I began to work with. I then moved to Manchester and worked for some time for a well established building firm (Smith & Thompson). Over the years, working in Australia had been on my mind but I needed top level qualifications to get there.
Whilst working at Smith & Thompson, I gained the NVQs and the ICA and ACA (building qualifications) that I needed. My scope of work, has always and still does, range from picture frames to full extensions, loft conversions, kitchens and furniture - I like working with wood!
VB : Australia – Wombat’s place of conception! What was it that you saw there that made you reconsider how construction works in the UK?
JC : I have always had an interest in Aboriginal culture. For at least the five years leading up to going out to work in Australia, setting up a company specialising in timber frame sustainable construction had been on my mind whilst working in the UK. However, it was during my time in Australia that the full vision for Wombat came in to focus.
Whilst there, I project managed and renovated an old property into a café and cinema. I worked with various different timber products which are favoured in Australia. This experience all helped to build what was to become Wombat. The versatility of building techniques due to the nature of timber, means things go up quickly and are easily adaptable. The influence of a contact in the business back in the UK combined with the Australian ‘work experience’ and my own knowledge of European timber frames helped form a realisation that a change in construction in the UK is necessary.
We have finite resources and we need to get better at sustainable construction – it benefits developers and local authorities but also every person involved in the process, including the end user.
Timber construction
VB : You feel strongly that timber is the way forward; what barriers do you think there are currently to prevent more timber frame construction in this country?
JC : Current materials used meet the building regulations and energy performance targets; there's no drive to think outside of the box. An established system or mind-set often takes time to change and unfortunately, politics can sometimes play a part in slowing this process down further.
There is a perception that timber frame is for the elite, the 'Grand Designs' client, for expensive ‘one off’ developments. I want to make it readily available to the average householder looking to take on a construction project.
VB : Is there a perception that timber frame construction is a short term solution? Do you think that people prefer bricks and mortar in the UK?
JC : I don't think the concerns over the lifespan of timber framed buildings are justified. There's no reason why timber can't last as long as masonry; plus, a timber framed house is a nicer place to live in!
The perception is that timber frame is exactly the same as block and brick construction with a cavity and your usual insulation; that’s not the case and is not the timber frame construction I use. It’s often that people just don’t have the correct information. I have researched Wombat's preferred system intensively. It’s a Swiss designed system and is exactly that – a system.
This is designed as totally solid wall construction and the timber frame is simply wrapped like a tea cosy. It is this basic wall build up that provides the high-end energy performance, which makes for a sustainable build. The basic wall build up works like this: an outer timber layer, then timber stud frame, then timber board for thermal resistance. There is minimal air leakage. The inside and outside can be finished in whatever way required by the client.
A future in timber?
VB : If you were pitching to a potential client, what would you point out as the advantages of using your preferred timber frame system?
JC : The specific timber system I favour far exceeds current performance targets and is quicker to construct, can often be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than traditional UK construction methods.
Each building plot can be assessed to give you the best solution to the brief, for example, you might only have to heat your property for two weeks of the year from your chosen heat source. From a safety perspective, the timber has also been fully fire tested and structurally approved.
If you as a client were offered a choice between the usual bricks and mortar home that can cost a lot to run and is prone to damp which leads to health issues (dust allergies, asthmas etc); or a timber system that’s scientifically proven to dramatically reduce (and in some cases eliminate) air born bacteria and costs next to nothing to run – what would you choose?
The timber frame house serves the occupants and I feel that it improves their standard of living. The timber frame construction and the home itself, saves energy instead of using energy to create energy.
In terms of aesthetics, you can clad the timber in anything you want (subject to planning office approval) – cedar boards, polyurethane panels, slate, stone. It can look as ‘timber’ as you want it to or exactly like your average brick house.
A colleague in the timber frame business told me that clients he knew of were taken into two buildings which looked identical outside and in. One house was the standard bricks and mortar construction, one the Swiss timber frame system. Those people all commented on something feeling healthier, fresher, airier in the timber frame building, without knowing exactly what the difference was.
The timber frame system that we use creates walls that are breathable; this prevents moisture build-up, which would otherwise be detrimental to the health of occupants and the building itself.
VB : Thanks James
JC : No worries.
Wombat Construction Ltd : contact details
| Mobile | : 07941 452215 | |
| Web | : wombatconstruction.com | |
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