Interview: Tom Waddicor, Maccreanor Lavington

Architects and urbanists Maccreanor Lavington have bases in London and Rotterdam and a portfolio of projects that spans housing, schools and community buildings, workspace, shops and urban mixed use.

Associate architect Tom Waddicor leads the education work for the practice. His projects including the Ibstock Place School refectory building, in Roehampton, south-west London, a design notable for its exposed glue-laminated timber lattice-frame ceiling with inset oak panels, handmade clay tile roofs and brickwork cloisters. The practice uses timber extensively in its projects and, when it comes to specification, sustainable choices are very much front of mind for Waddicor and his colleagues.

What are the issues currently impacting on specification – and how are these changing?

There are two main issues: the climate emergency and changes in regulation – specifically fire regulations. In fire safety we’re dealing with the fact that not only have the regulations changed for residential buildings of at least 18m in height, but also that there is an ongoing anxiety and perception of risk affecting buildings of under 18m. We do not have a static environment and things may continue to change. In the past, the territory was more certain.

For the climate emergency, it is not so much that we are being forced to change by regulation, but that we are wanting to change and feel we have a duty to

For the climate emergency, it is not so much that we are being forced to change by regulation, but that we are wanting to change and feel we have a duty to. Inevitably, we are having to push some clients more than others. We work in an environment where many projects are driven by viability and bottom-line finances, and we are cognisant of that reality too.

Are any design trends having an impact – if so, what?

In the education sector specifically, volumetric design and modern methods of construction is still being very keenly pursued by many commissioners, and is a key part of the Department for Education’s strategy to tackle embodied carbon in the school estate.

How are you responding to these specification challenges?

We’re responding with enthusiasm and caution. It’s a tightrope at the moment, balancing the urgent need to tackle low carbon, not just in use but in construction, and meeting the shifting regulatory landscape for non-combustibility in buildings.

At times it is not just about regulation but also about perception, and timber construction can be very divisive.

Where do you turn for information on product specification issues?

We engage with manufacturers and suppliers, trade and research bodies such as the Timber Research and Development Association, third parties such as warranty providers and, of course, standards documents and statutory instruments.

There is still a challenge in accessing the necessary information to meet new fire regulations and a lag in testing and certification

How confident are you in these sources of information?

One obviously has to take a pragmatic view about information that comes from manufacturers and suppliers – but they are also often best placed to help on issues around specification.

Having a good spread of sources and verification from multiple parties – including independent bodies – is important to us in making informed decisions.

What are the issues or topics where specification knowledge is lacking?

There is still a challenge in accessing the necessary information to meet new fire regulations and a lag in testing and certification.

Working with MMCs requires greater scrutiny in terms of procurement and lines of responsibility. As the name suggests, MMCs are relatively new – so there isn’t that body of experience to fall back on in the industry, but we believe the investment in research and deeper understanding is worthwhile.

As a practice, we work with cross-laminated timber in the education sector and timber to a lesser extent in housing. Particularly for residential, that can be challenging. That’s because it is a fairly new technology and, relatively speaking, there is not a huge amount of test data in existence, with relatively small players in the MMC market struggling to gain the level of access to test facilities that large players have. A lack of testing data makes it very difficult to specify products.

The lack of data can also be a challenge to sustainability, and we recognise we need to do more to confidently specify the “right” thing. This is where software and training can help, and we are excited to be developing that aspect of our practice with a new head of sustainability who can lead that charge.

What do you think would help improve knowledge on challenging specification issues – and how could manufacturers help?

Greater collaboration from manufacturers would be hugely beneficial. The biggest challenges in certification and approvals come from mixing different systems; it’s an approach one always wants to avoid but sometimes is the only option to meet conflicting demands.

In order to continue driving innovation and answering some of the big questions the industry faces, we need a shared commitment from manufacturers to work together to expedite change.

What product developments would you like to see to ease some of these challenges?

If anyone could crack non-combustible timber, that would be an absolute game-changer.