Making the Connection - Fast track

A new product to advance the potential for the timber frame housing market has been launched by Cullen Building Products and Napier University. The product will allow developers and house builders to comply towards three different building regulations. The joint venture product between the Fife based company and the University was developed in only 8 weeks but could increase the timber frame market share significantly for higher rise buildings.

The fast track approach to the design, testing and patent application is seen as a cutting edge example of Scottish industry and academic applied research working together.

The product provides a new restraint mechanism to deal with structural requirements and comply with design requirements for sound insulation for flats and apartments. In addition, it will assist towards better standardisation of multi storey developments and also improve further the energy efficiency of timber frame structures. Energy policy and sustainability are of high importance in the Government agendas both north and south of the border particularly for new build housing regulations.

The timber frame industry is growing steadily year on year. To address new construction design and innovations Napier University has two specialist applied research centres, Centre for Timber Engineering (CTE) and the Building Performance Centre (BPC). Both research centres worked with the Cullen team from start to finish.

The idea for the product came from research being undertaken at the Centres and they approached Cullen. Dr Sean Smith Depute Director at BPC explained "we approached Cullen as they are one of the leading manufacturers in this area and it was a great asset to have such a specialist and expert company so near. From the outset it's been a superb team effort and we hope this will assist in furthering the use of timber frame housing which meets so many of the Government's sustainability targets".

Prof Abdy Kermani of CTE, who developed the patent with Dr Smith, underlines other key benefits of the joint venture product including "the ability for framing companies to standardise their details for all storey heights, increasing manufacturing output, reduced wastage, faster track designs and its ability to be used with all current forms of solid and engineered joist systems in the timber frame industry".

To download the compressed file of the RD-DCR brochure, click here.

To find out more about our connector range for Timber Frame, click here.