A large, eco-friendly timber building frame has arrived at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), for the organisation’s new multi-million pound educational facility.

The Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE) will be a small university campus teaching all kinds of subjects – from weekend courses for enthusiasts, to accredited installers courses, right up to Masters degrees.

As you would expect from an organisation that has been testing green solutions for more than 33 years, the three-storey building is being constructed to the highest environmental standard. Timber has been specified for the frame instead of steel because it uses far less energy in its manufacture, and is a sustainable, renewable resource if replanted.

All the timber used in the construction of WISE is Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, guaranteeing the sustainability of the material. The glulam frame is made from European whitewood, and supplied by Danish timber suppliers Lilleheden.

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Principle Contractor Frank Galliers Ltd. is experienced in timber frame construction, but the WISE frame is bigger and more complex than anything they have previously been involved in. “It’s been a team effort,” Galliers’ Contract Manager Paul Braddick said. “We’ve been involved since the concept stage, so we’ve been able to discuss issues such as the best way to joint various sections.”

All the materials used in the £6.2 million project have been selected for their low impact on the environment, from the limecrete foundations, to the bio-composite hemp/lime walls, to the low energy sand and lime bricks. At 7.2m, the main lecture theatre will have the highest rammed earth walls in the UK.

WISE will also be energy efficient in use. The relatively small amount of electricity it uses will come from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and a wood-chip fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant, which will also generate a lot of heat for the CAT site. Solar water heating panels on the roof of WISE will supply hot water.

“We have decided to build WISE to cope with the huge increased interest in our courses at CAT,” said Courses Director Joan Randle. “For example, the MSc we run here in Architecture started with 30 students six years ago – now we have over 350 enrolled on the course. We are following this success with several more masters courses, including a new MSc in Renewable Energy starting in September.”

(CL)