Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
and Aberdeen houses had solid
planked (or staved) walls, and the
rest stud walls.
not possible in the space of this topic
to give any identification notes for
particular systems, save to say that
practically all these examples have
been clad in brickwork (Figure 3.29).
Some earlier examples were clad in
timber boarding over a cavity.
Normally the windows are fixed
to, and move with the frame, and a
good clue to this class of timber
frame systems is to look first to see
whether there is a deep window
reveal, and 'soft' joints between
windows and cladding and between
cladding and soffits. Another clue is
to tap the inner wall lining over a
window. Timber frame walls usually
have timber lintels, which give a
more solid sound than dry-lining on
masonry. Failing this, identification
usually means lifting a switch plate to
look into the cavity. Gable walls are
usually of unlined stud framing.
During the 1980s and 1990s there
have been considerable
improvements in the techniques of
timber frame construction. For
example, in quality control of
components fabricated off site, and
speed and accuracy of erection on
site which in turn helps the speed
with which the building can be
enclosed and waterproofed.
Characteristic details
Basic structure
Early medieval timber frames
consisted of storey height posts set
into wall plates at around 600 mm
centres, and these frames were
frequently jettied or cantilevered
above a bresummer bracketted from
the storey below (Figure 3.30). Since
the infilling could be weak and
unable to resist lozenging of the
frame, diagonal wind braces were
used at end bays. Occasionally,
purely for decorative reasons, the
frame was embellished with curved
members. And occasionally it may be
found that some window and door
frames are structural, and integrated
with the remainder of the loadbearing
frame.
When oak, the preferred material
for the frames, was needed in
enormous quantities for building
warships of the line, economies were
introduced into building work, and
the most obvious effect of this was
that the centres of studs was
increased, without real detriment to
the strength of the wall.
Four main forms of modern timber
frame dwelling construction have
been identified:
Timber, low-rise, 1945-65
During the period 1945-65 some
20,000 timber frame dwellings were
built in eight systems. The most
numerous were Calder, Scottwood,
Swedish, Spooners and Weir Timber.
A few were built in Canadian, and
Simms Son and Cooke. Most of these
systems had cladding fixed directly
to the frame - such cladding
included timber boards, plywood,
and fibre cement sheets.
Identification of the original
Calders is straightforward since they
had shallow pitched roofs which
included monopitches. Most were
clad with fibre cement panels, and
had a dark coloured horizontal band
at first floor level. The Scottwoods
mostly had rendered plywood
external walls, with a self coloured
projecting band at first floor level. A
few examples had brickwork ground
floor elevations. This system is the
most difficult to identify, since it is
possible to confuse examples with
other systems.
The Spooners were built mostly in
short terraces or semis. They were
commonly clad in brick, although a
few early examples had the upper
storeys clad in sheet metal somewhat
similar in appearance to BISFs.
Windows were mostly timber,
although a few early examples were
steel.
Timber low-rise, post-1965
The more prolific of those current in
the first ten years of the period since
1965 include Anchor, Anvil,
Engineered Homes, Eurodean, Facta,
Frameform, Guildway, Hallam,
Laing, Metatrim, NBA Silksworth,
Purpose Built, Quickbuild,
Rileyform, Rowcon, TRADA, and
Weir Multicom.
There are many more systems
current in the period since 1975. It is
Figure 3.30
Thaxted Market Hall
