The Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage is currently inviting tenders for a study on mass engineered timber (MET).
MET is a term used to describe engineered wood products of large section size which offer the construction industry a viable alternative to steel and concrete.
The name is generally applied to thick panel products, but can also include large section glued-or block-laminated linear elements.
The department said that there has been “a significant level of interest” in these products and building systems due to their technical capabilities, cost-competitiveness and environmental properties.
Against the backdrop of “challenging national carbon emissions reduction targets”, it said that MET is “considered a means of contributing to the decarbonisation of construction”.
Timber
The Timber in Construction Steering Group was formed by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Pippa Hackett in September 2023.
It is tasked with increasing the use of timber in construction, whilst ensuring the highest degree of building safety and property protection.
The group must also examine regulatory and standards challenges and maximise the use of home-grown timber in construction.
As part of the work on compliance with standards, tenders are being invited for a 9-month study to identify, examine and report any specific regulatory and market challenges to MET in an Irish context.
The study, which has a maximum budget of €160,000, excluding VAT, will review standards, research and codes developed in Ireland and abroad in relation to the design and use of MET.
It will focus on low to medium rise new-build residential and non-residential buildings, where MET is all, or a substantial part, of the primary structure.
The outcomes of the study will support the development of recommendations for a national technical specification for the use of MET.
The recommendations will cover a range of new low to medium rise apartments, along with office buildings, student accommodation, hotels and nursing homes.
Those undertaking the study must be mindful of “priority topics”, such as fire safety; structural design; moisture management; durability; energy and acoustic performance and quality control.
The department said that the closing date for the submission of tenders is June 28, 2024.