How CPDs can help you specify timber cladding
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) seminars are a useful tool for architects and specifiers to enhance their expertise in a particular subject and equally useful for suppliers to shed light on their products and the best practice when using them. With the Russwood CPDs you can expect a mix of Wood Science, technical advice and design recommendations for successful results.
Russwood expertise
I thoroughly enjoy delivering CPDs, especially in person. It’s a great opportunity to interact with practices and understand their ethos, as much as explaining ours. This is an aspect of my role at Russwood that I take seriously because I believe the more educated you are, the more empowered you will be in using the Russwood expertise and products. During the time I spend with practices, I emphasise that not all timber is created equally and some species will be better suited than others in certain applications.
Wood Science and Technology
Russwood offer two timber cladding CPDs, External Timber Cladding and Cladding Fire Performance. I’m currently enrolled on a Wood Science and Technology course which aids the conversations that can arise in CPDs where I can explain timber behaviour on a molecular level. We’ll discuss fun facts such as, does counting the growth rings REALLY give you the age of a tree? No spoilers. By highlighting the characteristics and differences of each of the species Russwood supply, we can form the foundation of your timber knowledge and make a smooth transition into the technical aspects and installation requirements.
Building requirements
Once I’ve demystified the Russwood timber species, it’s easy to understand how timber weathers or which coatings/treatments work best on them. I also discuss how you should detail and install timber cladding to achieve a long lasting product. Specifications will always be a balancing act between the species limitations, the design intention and the building requirements. Certain restrictions might ultimately dictate which product can be used and it’s imperative to have these conversations early on so that architects and specifiers are aware of the implications of fire rating and how that might affect their design.
Fire treated cladding
The Cladding Fire Performance CPDs is a guide on how to navigate the information and requirements that ensue from having to specify fire rated cladding. There is no cookie cutter answer as each project is unique in its set of requirements, but we will unpack together the resistance to fire vs fire reaction, Euroclasses, fire-retardant treatments, certification documentation and many more.
Get the best experience
I encourage participants to ask questions as we move through the topics; timber is a wide ranging subject that I’m still learning myself. These sessions should be seen as an opportunity to pick someone’s brain, whether it’s about timber in general or a particular project that’s in progress. I can tailor the CPDs to ensure the attendeess can get the best out of the experience.
