For too long, the construction industry has lobbied government to do more to support a significant increase in the volume and quality of new sustainable housing - in Scotland and across the UK.

We need far more homes than we are currently building, and we must build more sustainably.

At the end of 2023, Westminster responded with a much-welcomed Timber in Construction Roadmap to boost UK construction and reduce emissions. The timber offsite sector is now working in partnership with the wider construction industry to deliver the vision of significantly more cost-effective and low carbon new build homes.

Timber is one of the most sustainable and carbon-neutral products on the market. If even 50% of the government’s target of 300,000 new homes were built using timber, it would take one million tonnes of carbon out of the atmosphere each year.

Scotland leads the UK for timber frame construction, contributing more than £1 billion to the Scottish economy in Scottish product alone.

While the UK Government has published the Timber in Construction Roadmap, here in Scotland where 90% of new homes are already built using timber, the Scottish Government is undertaking a consultation aimed at creating a Scottish equivalent to the German-devised Passivhaus standard. This is a concept where new homes have no traditional heating systems, relying instead on energy-efficient building components, high levels of air-tightness and superior ventilation.

The consultation, called The Energy Standards Review, Scottish Passivhaus Equivalent, is due for legislation in December, and is tasked with proposing new ways to optimise building performance, reduce energy demand and improve living environments.

While the ambition to improve housing standards is applauded, it is crucial that the solution is both scalable and cost-effective: something which, so far, has not been achieved.

The recent Edinburgh Homes Demonstrator Project is a collaboration between industry, Scottish Government and academia that has developed a range of homes and a closed panel timber frame specification that is near net zero. It can deliver high-energy performance, low embodied carbon and has three key advantages over Passivhaus: it’s scalable, cost-effective and easy.

As chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries and a board member of the Structural Timber Association, we are focused on supporting the UK and Scottish governments in these endeavours, as well as helping Homes England in its desire to see more closed panel timber frame solutions.

Meanwhile, within the Donaldson Group, we have this year invested £10 million in our fully-automated manufacturing centre to support growth; increasing scale, speed, and precision, to meet housing need.

A central part of the process in creating these sustainable homes, is the need to grow and harvest more trees to absorb carbon from the atmosphere, while also increasing productive woodland. We must continue to advocate for both its production and its use in Scotland.

With a General Election this summer, it is critical that whatever the outcome, timber continues to lead the way in delivering sustainable, high-quality housing at scale. With only 10% of homes in England currently built using timber frame, this is a huge opportunity for Scotland’s timber industry.

Alex Goodfellow is CEO of Offsite at the Donaldson Group

Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk