Backed by the UK’s three largest sawmillers — BSW Timber, Glennon Brothers and James Jones & Sons — the Trust UK C16 Timber campaign is expanding its engagement with architects, engineers and other construction professionals to encourage greater use of domestically produced C16 timber.
The Trust UK C16 Timber campaign, led by the UK’s three largest sawmillers, is expanding its engagement with the construction and design sectors.
BSW Timber, Glennon Brothers and James Jones & Sons are working with Confor and Timber Development UK (TDUK) to promote UK-grown C16 timber and highlight the potential of domestic supply to reduce reliance on imported materials.
The campaign has worked with construction industry bodies including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE). Recent outreach has included contributions from Peter Smith, architect at Roderick James Architects; Louise Rogers, impact manager at BE-ST; and Mark Kirk, technical director at Paramount Structures.
A webinar held with IStructE provided structural engineers with information on the performance and reliability of C16 timber. This was followed by a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) session at the Timber Design Conference, where architects and specifiers considered its use in lower-carbon construction and resilient supply chains.
The campaign has also engaged designers, contractors and clients at Futurebuild, with plans to return to the event next year.
A new video has been released through Confor’s YouTube channel, examining the contribution of C16 timber to the UK economy, environment and rural employment. It will form part of upcoming educational activity.
Further engagement is planned for Oct, when the initiative will work with RIBA to host an industry roundtable bringing together representatives from architecture, engineering and construction.
Participants are expected to include Smith and Kirk, alongside representatives from practices including ROAR, Hayatsu, Stolon Studios, Cooke Fawcett, Waugh Thistleton, dRMM and John Sisk & Son. The discussion will focus on the practical considerations involved in specifying and using UK timber.
It will also support an upcoming IStructE industry briefing, Strengthening the UK Economy: Why C16 Timber Matters. The briefing will bring together engineers, policymakers and industry representatives to examine the role of UK timber in economic resilience and environmental goals.
The programme brings together sawmillers, trade associations and construction professionals to provide technical information on UK-grown timber and its use in construction.
The Trust UK C16 Timber campaign plans to continue its programme throughout 2027, with further activity aimed at architects, engineers, contractors and clients.
