Oregon Timber Frame, part of Barratt Redrow, has built on its expansion in Derby and Selkirk, achieving a record year in manufacturing timber frame kits for sustainable homes.
The housebuilder launched a new £45 million timber frame factory in the East Midlands and invested an additional £24 million to expand its Selkirk facility in the Scottish Borders as part of its off-site construction scaling plans.
This expansion has resulted in a 26% increase in timber frame kits produced in 2024, reaching nearly 4,000 kits. Oregon aims to produce over 5,500 kits in 2025, with plans to use them for constructing 9,000 of the 22,000 homes it expects to build annually.
Barratt Redrow acquired Oregon, one of the largest timber frame manufacturers, in 2019 to support its growth in off-site construction. This shift towards Modern Methods of Construction will help meet the 2025 Future Homes Standard, reduce carbon emissions, cut waste by about 30%, minimise disruption to communities, and address the construction sector’s on-site skills shortage.
Peter Wade, joint managing director at Oregon, said: “The significant investment by Barratt Redrow in new manufacturing facilities, jobs and skills at Oregon has reaped rewards for customers and the environment. We’ve been able to manufacture more homes in our state-of-the-art factories, which use sustainable timber, are precision-built and most importantly, enable a greater depth of insulation to be added to make homes warmer and cheaper to run.
“Added to this, by increasing our use of modern methods of construction, Barratt Redrow continues to move further along the road to becoming net zero carbon.”
Peter Wade added: “The timber frame system has evolved thanks to decades of research and development. Every timber frame structure is designed by a timber designer and structural engineer and the technique is enhanced by computer engineering. Detailed 3D modelling enables us to test the structure within a computer program before the foundations are laid. Added to this, unlike traditional methods of construction, timber frame homes can be constructed in a couple of days in all weathers, which is a big advantage in the UK winters.”
Original source: Show House
