Site blaze prompts timber questioning

A fire at a Persimmon site this month has rekindled a row over timber frame in construction. The company was forced to demolish a £1.5m four-storey apartment development in Bridgwater, Somerset, after it was destroyed in a suspected arson attack. Persimmon had nearly completed the building, but had yet to install all the dry lining, and timber frame was still exposed.

Traditional Housing Bureau director Jim Holland paid a visit to the site the following day. He told CJ that timber frame is putting projects at a greater risk than other building methods.

Holland said: "It was badly damaged by the fire and had already been demolished. What we’re learning from the fire is that clearly a building would stand a much better chance of withstanding fire if masonry was used."

Persimmon Homes South West managing director Adrian Morgan told CJ: "This particular incident was a one-off and was attributed more to it being a deliberate blaze." He added that the company will now put security guards onsite to protect against similar attacks.

Holland also visited a site in Faversham, Kent, this month, which was destroyed by fire.

A Timber Frame Association (TFA) spokeswoman defended the material, and said it performs within current building regulations, which state that a building or a dwelling has to resist fire for 30-to-60 minutes to allow the emergency services enough time to respond.

The spokeswoman put the allegations down to competition between rival materials. She said: "The masonry lobby has always pointed the finger at timber frame. It doesn’t wash with us or the government, as long as a building complies with the building regulations set down by the National House Building Council and others."

Holland said the incidents raised questions about the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s (ODPM) promotion of offsite construction (OSC) techniques. He said: "We’re concerned that the ODPM, through the £60,000 house competition, is showcasing OSC and promoting something untested."

But the TFA spokeswoman, who dismissed the claims, said: "Timber will burn, but it must perform to well-established and thoroughly researched standards. There’s no reason to create alarm."

She added: "There’s no point in one material knocking another because it’s all just smoke and mirrors."