The project is commissioning a series of products to demonstrate the potential for using Scots pine in construction. These include external cladding, a post and beam building and laminated timber components.

Post and beam building
The contract to design and build a demonstration Scots pine post and beam building has been awarded to Neil Sutherland Architects based in Inverness. The location for the building is on the edge of a pine forest at Loch Fleet where it will serve as a bird hide and education facility - view the proposed building design.

Cladding
Exposure trials of Scottish Scots pine cladding are complete, early analysis of results indicates that Scots pine treated with preservative will perform as well as non-treated or preservative treated larch. Larch has been the preferred species of choice for external cladding in Scotland in recent years but is becoming increasingly difficult to source. This study will hopefully persuade specifiers that with good detailing and correct treatment Scots pine is a suitable alternative.

Glulam study tour
In April architects and specialists in timber engineering took part in a 3 day study tour to Trondheim organised by the Norwegian forest and Landscape Institute to learn about the use of engineered timber products in construction. There was a strong focus on the manufacture and use of laminated timber products including cross laminated timber in residential and commercial buildings, and stress laminated timber in bridges. Presentations from the trip are available below:

• North Woods Construction - Bernard Planterose
• Norbuild - Sven Skatun
• Neil Sutherland Architects - Neil Sutherland
• Mechanical properties of Scottish Scots pine - John Moore and Elspeth Macdonald
• Norsk Treteknisk Institutt - Per Lind
• Glued products in Norway - Per Lind
• Wood and indoor climate - Per Lind
• Pine timber with respect to structural glued products - Erkki Verkasalo

Innovation workshop
In 2009 North Karelia University of Applied Sciences organised a 5 day international innovation workshop to come up with new ideas for using Scots pine. The event took place at Glenmore Lodge in the Cairngorms National Park and was attended by design, engineering and forestry students from Scotland, Sweden and Finland - see a presentation on the event.