All-timber connections are 'back in fashion'

The use of all-timber connections is making a comeback in building, according to an industry specialist.

Sally Spencer of the Timber Industry Magazine has noted a "revival" in the use of all-timber connections.

Ms Spencer claimed that four-hundred-year-old timber frame buildings are still standing and are a "testament to the skill" of the period's craftsmen.

"In recent history it has been a common misconception among those not in the know that timber is a low-tech material," she said.

Tiffany Wood, who recently embarked on a self build project using predominantly oak and walnut, told the magazine that the use of timber transforms a building "more than any other material".

Ms Wood added that it also helped to improve the air quality inside the home.

According to myanmar.humanitarianinfo.org, traditional timber-laced masonry buildings survived significant earthquakes in Turkey in 1999 and in India two years later, while a number of modern buildings collapsed.