Bridging the skills gap for a timber future

It is great to have the opportunity to take part in this training course as I am at a stage where I want to take on extra responsibility in my project work. For my own development I was looking to undertake hands-on extra-curricular training.

With it’s focus on timber, this course has an excellent relationship to the work we aspire to at dRMM. I’m glad our studio is participating in this opportunity as, although we are known for our high-profile timber projects, there is always scope to push further for wide-scale adoption of timber as the most sustainable of construction materials. Often, for reasons that are not always within our control, we have to make compromises on the materiality of our projects. Despite these constraints, we work hard to select a palette of appropriate, low-carbon materials. We always seek to use more timber as it is the most sustainable material available to us. This has allowed me to develop and an enhanced understanding of the applications of timber, which in turn enables me/dRMM to make the case for using timber and timber products in our buildings.

Within the course, I have been encouraged to develop a detailed material understanding which incorporates the lifecycle of timber. This has included a theoretical and practical understanding of how to sustainably grow, procure, apply, retire and upcycle timber as well as how to maintain the timber supply chain in a way that ensures our sustainable future. The opportunity to connect a theoretical understanding and speak to people in forestry, milling and design has fostered a collaborative learning environment. Practical, material-based lab work has allowed me to learn how to research and detail small-scale timber projects. Hands-on experience like being able to test our own theories within a specialist timber laboratory has helped me build my experience and has improved my confidence in advocating for timber.

The course has provided excellent scope to bring what I have learned back to my work at dRMM. This includes a reinvigorated enthusiasm for timber, an understanding of where timber can be substituted into the design of projects, and ways in which we can protect timber to extend its life. The course has provided an excellent grounding to the work I do as part of the studio’s technical review panel; a role which requires the ability to question the technical and sustainable performance of our projects.

I have particularly enjoyed the practical elements of the course which have improved my carpentry skills. Although learning was mostly delivered through remote learning, in weeks six and twelve we attended the NMITE campus in Hereford. In these weeks we were given practical tasks enabling us to apply our reading and research. This included designing and making a timber joint, which we then analysed to build an understanding of forces and stress during the process of construction and as the timber underwent ageing. We were given the freedom to explore our personal interest in timber. The highlight of my time on the course was the design and build of a structure that utilised steam bending. During this workshop I was able to test the limits of the technique with the course cohort, refining our learning through trial and error to create a steam bent, glulam structure.

I enjoyed the course because it was set up to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. There were a few fellow architects enrolled on the course and we were joined by engineers and other allied built environment disciplines. Peer learning was embedded in the course structure and for the purpose of coursework I was partnered with an engineer for peer review. This exposure to a variety of approaches was excellent, exposing us to other disciplines in a way that is true to our work in practice. As part of the course we were invited to attend the Timber Properties Categorisation Continuing Professional Development course. This two-day industry focused event was attended by NMITE’s timber research team, local foresters, millers, architects, and engineers which reinforced the interdisciplinary nature of design with timber.