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Hidden Heroes

Only a very small amount of metal was used in the #COP26House build, but the fixings supplied by timber building expert Rothoblaas were deliberately selected. As a company, Rothoblaas srl are putting emphasis not just on the design and quality of their fixings to build timber structures, but also ensuring they are developed for ‘reversability’. The #COP26House has been built in a[…]

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A structure simple enough that school children could build it

image showing children constructing the timber frame of School House project in South London

One of the Peter Smith‘s priorities for the design of the COP26 House was that the house should be simple to build, using standard materials and skills readily available today. And an inspiration for this simplicity in build was the Roderick James Architects’  School House project – a structure simple enough that school children can build it. About the[…]

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The advantages of timber in construction: local materials

Stats about the contribution forestry makes to Scotland's economy

In the fourth and final blog in our series about the benefits of timber in construction, we focus on the importance of using locally sourced materials, and the need to increase the amount of locally grown timber products. In recent months we have all been impacted in one way or another by supply shortages, whether[…]

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The advantages of timber: construction method

diagram showing timber frame of COP26 House

This is the second in a series of articles, written by members of the Beyond Zero Carbon team from STEICO, BSW, MEDITE SMARTPLY and National Timber Group, focusing on the advantages of timber for building. Here the team consider the benefits of timber in the construction itself. In our last blog, we discussed the environmental[…]

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The advantages of timber in construction: environment

stacked pile of wooden logs

This is the first in a series of articles, written by members of the Beyond Zero Carbon team from STEICO, BSW, MEDITE SMARTPLY and National Timber Group, focusing on the advantages of timber in construction. Here the team consider the benefits of timber to the wider environment. If you have ever seen an HGV hurtling[…]

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The COP26 House build has begun!

Exciting times: last week our zero carbon COP26 House build began on site on the Broomlielaw in central Glasgow. Situated just east of the Kingston Bridge, the house is located within a short walk of Glasgow Central Station in one direction and the SEC in the other direction, where the COP26 conference will be held.[…]

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The inspiration for the design of the COP26 House

The COP26 House was conceived and designed by Peter Smith, Architect and Passivhaus Designer at Roderick James Architects (RJA). The house is a culmination of many projects and experiences that Peter has had over his career: bringing together design and materials in a way that showcases that low carbon housing, made from ecologically responsible materials,[…]