Last week I was invited to talk to summer school students at the Sylva Wood Centre. I was asked to talk to them about challenges and opportunities for British grown timber. This is what I told them: You’ll… Continue Reading →
It’s beyond frustrating that work at Vastern Timber has been delayed by Thames Water’s awful service. We’ve paid them over £63,000 to move their pipe, and 19 weeks into an 8 week job we have a leaky pipe and no… Continue Reading →
This year, while looking into the future of the UK’s forests, I’ve seen how climate change, pests and pathogens, and lack of investment has already had a huge impact on British woodlands. Currently over 40% of our woodland is unmanaged,… Continue Reading →
The reaction to the sixth film of our series has been very positive so far. It’s been viewed over 3000 times across Youtube and Facebook, and we’ve had some really great feedback. Thank you. I’m hosting an online discussion and… Continue Reading →
Vastern Timber, the Wootton Bassett based sawmill, will be exhibiting at Materials 2017 – the new conference and exhibition taking place at the ILEC Centre, Earls Court, which focusses entirely on material solutions for architecture, construction, and design. Offering a… Continue Reading →
Public debut for the first commercially available thermally modified British timber Vastern Timber will be exhibiting at Ecobuild 2016 and will be unveiling Brimstone, the first commercially available thermally modified British timber. Sourced exclusively from English and Welsh woodlands, the… Continue Reading →
Tom Barnes of Vastern Timber looks at the construction of a replacement drawbridge at the Tower of London and discusses the technical issues surrounding the use of oak on prestigious heritage projects. Originally constructed in 1834 to allow munitions to… Continue Reading →
As a natural material, timber cladding needs a little extra understanding to ensure long term successful implementation, as Tom Barnes of Vastern Timber explains. The use of timber cladding has boomed in recent decades. In many cases timber cladding still… Continue Reading →
Oak remains perhaps the most iconic of British hardwoods, but how does English oak fare against imported oak, and do designers and specifiers fully understand and appreciate the available choices and advantages of English oak over imported timber? Tom Barnes… Continue Reading →
While timber cladding is a technique that has been used for millennia, its use has boomed in recent decades, driven largely by a push for more sustainability in building, as well as a renewed appreciation of its aesthetic benefits. In… Continue Reading →
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