The largest construction companies in the United Kingdom are turning to modern methods of construction, such as the use of prefabricated solid timber components, in order to meet the country's target of – building 300,000 new homes every year.
Only 10% of homes in England are built using timber frames. Times are changing. In most cases, the largest construction companies in other countries are making substantial investments in setting up timber frame manufacturing plants.
Of the almost 200,000 new homes built in England in 2024, only 40,500 were timber frame houses. UK builders are now planning to increase that number considerably, hoping to return to levels of timber frame construction not seen since the 1970s. According to a report by Reuters, the shortage of skilled labour, coupled with the introduction of modern construction methods and environmentally friendly materials, is prompting builders to turn once again to traditional timber frame housebuilding.
At a plant in Oxfordshire, robotic machinery guided by artificial intelligence glides across the factory floor, joining timber panels together: “We are seeing more and more large, small and medium-sized construction companies using timber structures to overcome the skills shortage and the problem of carbon emissions,” said Alex Goodfellow, chief executive of Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS), in a recent interview with Reuters.
DTS manufactures walls, floors and roofs, which are then delivered to developers for rapid assembly. The company's automated production line in Witney, near Oxford, produces timber panels for around 100 homes every week. Designs are developed digitally using artificial intelligence, doing away with paper drawings and simplifying the process. The company's chief executive stresses that this method cuts construction time by roughly 10 weeks compared with traditional masonry construction. It also offers cost savings. A study by the construction consultancy Rider Levett Bucknall found that timber structures are 2.8% cheaper than brick or concrete block structures. Despite the growing interest, Great Britain still lags behind other European countries in both the use of timber and the adoption of robotics. The National Robotarium at Heriot-Watt University reports that Great Britain is one of the countries where robotics is being adopted most slowly in construction.
The situation is changing; 30% of the United Kingdom's leading construction companies already have timber frame factories, among them Vistry and Taylor Wimpey, which have opened or plan to open timber frame plants. Bellway, meanwhile, plans to use timber in a third of the homes it designs by 2030.
Bellway's head of sustainability, Simon Parks, highlighted the environmental advantages of timber: “Timber absorbs and stores more carbon than it releases,” adding that Bellway's internal analysis shows that concrete blocks are the biggest source of carbon emissions among the most commonly used building materials.
Timber's environmental credentials are, however, tempered by reliance on imports. At present, around 80% of the timber used in the United Kingdom is brought in from abroad, mainly from Europe. By contrast, only 20% of the bricks used in the country are imported.
Another obstacle is the availability of mortgages for timber homes. Mortgage brokers at R3 Wealth report that the availability of lending could improve if the government were to voice firmer support for timber construction. Concerns about the durability of the houses, meanwhile, have dampened enthusiasm. Barratt Homes attempted to revive the use of timber in the 1980s, but sales fell amid concerns about the risk of rot and fire.
Structural Timber Association representatives stress that these problems have been dealt with, taking the view that modern building regulations and fire safety guidance have resolved them. Specialists point out that off-site timber construction could deliver up to a third of the government's annual housing target; such output has not been achieved since the 1970s. At the same time, the United Kingdom's ageing workforce makes the situation still more difficult. Around 20% of workers are over the age of 50, and a quarter of those, the Home Builders Federation acknowledges, plan to retire within the next ten years. In June the government pledged £40 million to support the adoption of robotics across various industries, yet Britain's construction sector still lags behind.
ING Bank calculates that in 2023 there were 1.5 robots per 10,000 construction workers in Europe, compared with 0.6 robots in the United States and just 0.5 robots in the United Kingdom. Frank O'Reilly, DTS's production director, sees robotics not only as a solution to the labour shortage, but also as a way of attracting new talent. The new technology is encouraging young people to consider the trade as a career option.
Interest in timber frame construction in the United Kingdom is growing.
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