‘An invaluable tool’ from TRADA supports best practice in timber design

Specialist carpenter Charley Brentnall, a recognized leader in the UK's oak framing industry, attracted crowds to the Timber Focus Theatre at Timber Expo 2017. 

The founder of Carpenter Oak and Woodland Company, Brentnall has helped drive the current renaissance in timber-framing within the UK, rediscovering medieval skills by undertaking conservation work on many historical buildings including Windsor Castle and Shackleton's and Scott's huts in Antarctica.  

In the seminar session Simplifying the Complicated, Brentnall provided a fascinating insight into how he uses TRADA’s National Structural Timber Specification for Building Construction (NSTS) for specifying green oak. He says: “TRADA’s book is an invaluable tool that takes the headache out of specifying by providing a framework and information on minimum standards. I recommend that specifiers use this book in their work-flow to save time and money and ensure designs are done correctly from the outset.” 

Aimed at engineers specifying timber, the book provides a set of best practice guidelines on how timber buildings can be erected, covering subjects such as information exchange, materials, fabrication, protection and quality assurance. 

TRADA’s Rupert Scott said: “In the past many engineers cobbled together specification documents literally on the job, tweaking them project by project. The National Structural Timber Specification for Building Construction (NSTS) is a real game-changer for the construction industry, which has, to this point, relied on using documentation from previous projects to fit the latest one.” 

A masterclass on how to design three iconic timber buildings in just twenty minutes, using TRADA’s bestselling Timber Frame Construction 5th edition, also wowed audiences during this seminar session. 

Simon Smith, Partner at Smith & Wallwork, used the book to demonstrate a step-by-step guide to timber frame construction, using the latest set of requirements.  

Author and senior timber frame consultant Robin Lancashire concluded the session – which included Andrew Lawrence, Associate Director at Arup – with a lively debate on specifying timber structures and steps that should be taken to avoid costly mistakes.

Interested in hearing more about our busiest Timber Expo yet? Check out our video rounding up our activities at Timber Expo 2017.