merrion street

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle T.D., today launched a new publication on the structural use of timber entitled The Structural Use of Timber - Handbook for Eurocode 5: Part 1-1. The publication was prepared by COFORD, an advisory body to the Department on issues related to the Forest and Timber sector.

Speaking at the launch in Agriculture House, Minister Doyle said

“I am keenly aware of the growing level of harvest in our forests and the increasing level of output of product from the Irish sawmilling sector which reached close on one million cubic metres in 2016.”

The Minister continued

“this is against a background of a growing realisation of the many benefits of wood in construction, a material that facilitates rapid, modern and modular construction, and one that has significant potential to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional construction methods. Timber buildings also store carbon over several decades, and this important role in climate change mitigation can only increase over the coming decades.”

The publication, which was initiated by the late Jim Harrington, was carried on and completed under the Department’s auspices by Malcolm Jacob and Bill Robinson. It will be of particular relevance to structural engineers when designing timber buildings.

Minister Doyle added

“I would like to commend COFORD on this publication. Since the first edition of the COFORD Handbook on structural design to Eurocode 5, published in 2006, a lot of new information has become available which is needed by a structural engineer when designing timber buildings. Overall the aim is to support a growing level of specification of wood products in the built environment. In this regard I am glad to see that information on cross laminated timber has been added to coincide with the spectacular rise in the use of this wood product in timber construction.”