| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/I018778/1 |
| Title: |
STRUCTURAL OPTIMISATION OF TIMBER OFFSITE MODERN METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION |
| Principal Investigator: |
Hairstans, Professor R |
| Other Investigators: |
|
| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
|
| Project Partners: |
|
| Department: |
Engineering and the Built Environment |
| Organisation: |
Edinburgh Napier University |
| Scheme: |
First Grant - Revised 2009 |
| Starts: |
06 June 2011 |
Ends: |
18 October 2013 |
Value (£): |
102,452
|
| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Building Ops & Management |
Civil Engineering Materials |
| Structural Engineering |
|
|
| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
|
| Related Grants: |
|
| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
|
25 Nov 2010
|
Process Environment and Sustainability
|
Announced
|
|
|
Summary on Grant Application Form |
|
Efficient and sustainable building systems are required in order to achieve the UK government's target of building three million new homes by 2016. Given, the current lack of activity in the housing construction market to achieve this target, increased levels of off-site modern methods of construction (MMC) need to be adopted which conform to future regulatory and code requirements, are environmentally sound and structurally robust. The dominant form of timber construciton for housing in the UK is open panel platform frame construction (approximately 25% UK market share). In order to meet future market and building regulatory requirements this form of construction needs to evolve and become an efficient closed panel system solution. The system solution needs to be capable of being manufactured off-site to the highest possible specification in terms of mass customisation, inclusion of services, application of cladding, and to achieve a high standard of building performance (thermal insulation, reduced cold bridiging, acoustic separation) whilst remaining cost effective.Off-site MMC research has primarily focussed on: understanding the market; the conceptualisation of modern building systems and products; the adaption of production theories to construction; implementation of modern business processes to construction by means of adapting information and communication technologies; and micro-renewable solutions (photovoltaics, ground source heat pumps etc) to provide additional energy.It has been recognised that sustainable building envelopes should start with improving the efficiency of the building fabric. The evolution of timber plaform frame from an open panel to a closed panel system solution requires increased levels of off-site MMC and improved building performance.. This impacts upon the structural performance and requires the deriviation of novel technical solutions and incorporation of innovative products. Running concurrently with this is the need to structurally design and certify all new building systems in accordance with the new European Code of Practice as a result of the British Standard Code of Structral Practice now being obsolete (as of the 1st of April 2010).This research work will progress through testing in isolation, and in combination, novel technical solutions and innovative products which will form the timber closed panel system solutions of the future. These derived solutions will be used in pilot projects to demonstrate their application and, through post completion testing, overall system efficiency. Further to this the work will provide a generic product family architecture in accordance with Eurocode design requirements providing industry confidence in the code and the ability to specify the derived solutions or adapt them for their specific market or client needs.The proposed research work will be part of a wider scale research movement and therefore provide necessary outcomes for the implementation of sustainable and efficient methods of construction required to address the existing UK housing shortage. The work will support the UK timber frame industry and its suppliers in terms of both raw materials and services (i.e. consulting engineering practices). The project will also ensure that timber frame remains competitive relative to other less sustainable forms of construction and imports.
|
|
Key Findings |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Potential use in non-academic contexts |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Impacts |
|
| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
|
| Date Materialised |
|
|
|
|
Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
| Project URL: |
|
| Further Information: |
|
| Organisation Website: |
http://www.napier.ac.uk |