Worldwide, there has been a tradition for the use of wood in building. It is the most widely used building material in the world. Wood is easy to handle, a natural and sustainable material and brings flexibility in design.

Today, many buildings are built using traditional timber frame structures and this trend will grow as Building Regulations and Standards strive for better thermal performance and the construction industry drives for quicker build times and better quality structures by promoting more off-site manufacturing of buildings.

Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) technology is the next generation of timber based construction. The technology is not new, it has been used commercially in North America for over 50 years and continues to see rapid growth in the UK, Europe and Far East.

In the UK and Ireland, demand for off site construction methods such as SIP’s is growing rapidly. This is being driven by factors such as, the availability of on site skills being at an all time low and the need for organisations such as Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords to innovate and take notice of Government commissioned reports such as the Egan report and more recently the Baker Review. The introduction of SIPs is playing a major role in meeting these demands.