With growing concern for the environment and global warming, it is in everyone's interests to keep energy demands as low as possible. Building energy efficient, well insulated homes to reduce fuel consumption and running costs is essential.
             However, what many architect/designers/builders do not realise is that even before a house is built, the materials used in its construction have a Product Energy Requirement (PER), which refers to all energy (expressed in kilowatt-hours) that goes into producing and transporting a product. Timber has the advantage here as it is produced by natural means- sun, water and air, so its energy requirements are all in the extraction and transportation of the logs from the forest.
             A timber frame wall in atypical three-bedroom detached family house has a PER of around 7,450KWh, while a concrete block wall in the same property requires 1.7 times more energy,with a PER of around 12,816KWh. Timber is also the only renewable structural building material available, and the majority of timber frame package companies invest heavily in well-managed replanting programmes.
             With timber frame, the frame itself supports the weight of the building, while with brick and block, both the outer brick and inner block walls take the weight.
             There is actually very little to choose from when trying to decide which the better construction method is.
             In terms of thermal insulation, timber frame usually performs better than traditional construction by up to a third. Timber frame is faster to erect because of the amount of pre-fabrication work. They can also be decorated sooner because they do not require a drying out period.
             However, it is true to say that the very cheapest and the most expensive buildings tend to be traditionally constructed, while timber frame buildings sit happily in the middle.
             Timber frame is as safe as traditional
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