Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is a sustainable, high-performance construction material with the potential to improve speed and quality of builds. However, misconceptions persist within the industry, especially around CLT and other mass timber products made from timber grown in the UK due to historic perceptions.

Building on the findings of the Innovate UK research project Transforming Timber, the Mass Timber Centre of Excellence provides dedicated support to help the construction industry overcome these barriers and misconceptions. The Centre enables the sector to realise the full potential and benefits of UK mass timber construction by facilitating the successful integration of UK-grown timber into projects nationwide. This article addresses four prevalent myths and presents the evidence-based reality.

MOD X is a heavily influential organisation from the United States whose mission centres around this learning journey around offsite construction. It regularly tours leading offsite regions, including Japan, Germany, Sweden and more, to collect lessons learned to influence policy and tackle the housing challenges faced in their home country. Their experience, in turn, makes them a unique repository of international offsite construction knowledge gathered from across the globe.  

Tara Schmidt, Executive Director at Transition Finance Scotland, will be joining other industry leaders at this year’s International Retrofit Conference to explore how retrofit can move beyond isolated pilots to become financeable, scalable programmes.  

Speaking ahead of November’s BE-ST Fest, a two-day industry conference focused on net-zero carbon construction, Mark Farmer, Founder at Cast Consultancy, will be sharing his insights on the future of construction skills at this year’s BE-ST Fest Summit.  

Fleming, on behalf of East Ayrshire Council, has completed work on the UK’s first EnerPHit-certified school refurbishment: St. Sophia’s Primary, Galston. But what does this mean for the overall landscape in construction, and how will others benefit?

Sean Smith, Professor of Future Construction and Director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure within the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, was awarded the BE-ST Beacon Award in 2024. He joined us recently to reflect on the future of buildings and the built environment in Scotland.

As a Senior Design Manager at Kier, Beacon Award winner, and former Built Environment Change Maker, Emily Carr has become a driving force for systemic change in the industry - especially when it comes to equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI), and skills development.

Robert has been a leading figure in timber innovation and off-site construction throughout his career which spans both academia and industry.

Scottish pioneer of mass timber says mass timber systems offer new possibilities and opportunities in design and construction.

Gina Colley is an Architect and Associate Director at Threesixty Architecture. She believes inclusive design should be at the core of a just transition to net zero which creates spaces that are affordable, accessible, and considerate of all people. 

Beattie is a building performance expert with extensive experience in Passivhaus design. They specialise in creating retrofit strategies for challenging buildings, including historic and listed properties such as town halls and other public buildings.  

Elemental Power specialises in developing digital twins for local energy systems, a technology that combines technical and economic modelling to simulate and optimise energy usage in non-domestic settings.  

RE24 is playing a vital role in the ALCHEMAI project, focusing on providing energy solutions and analysis for non-domestic retrofitting. Their main focus is on one of the pilot sites that is located outside the main Bassetlaw Council District sites – a commercial building in Wales. 

Meet Zarja Krevelj, one of our change makers. She is working as an Architectural Technologist at HLM Architects, chair of the Sustainability Subgroup within the Change Makers, and was an early pioneer in the homegrown mass timber movement at Edinburgh Napier University. 

Atamate provides an advanced building management system that is data-driven, wireless, and easy to install, requiring only standard electricians.  

As 2024 comes to a close, we at BE-ST are reflecting on an incredible year filled with impactful projects, partnerships, and platforms.

Holosphere’s primary role in the ALCHEMAI project is as a software developer and visualiser, using their expertise to build the user interface for a retrofit planning tool that will improve understanding of non-domestic buildings – a key output of the ALCHEMAI project. Holosphere also conducted data capture through drones and thermal imaging to create 3D models.  

The original aim and initial driver of the retrofit of Scotland’s National Retrofit Centre was to replace the existing gas-based heating system with a zero direct emissions heating system.

We are proud to host BE-ST Fest at this iconic, grade A-listed building with deep historical roots. Before its renovation, the surrounding community was losing out on the full potential of the space.

What are some of the ten greatest achievements in the Scottish construction sector over the past decade, that deserve recognition for their economic, social, sustainable, and cultural impact on society at large?