Sustainability at Oakwrights

The environment is a key consideration for both ourselves and our clients, and choosing to build in wood is a key step towards building a sustainable home.

Sustainability is considered not only in our work processes and environment but also in the materials we use and the houses, outbuildings and extensions we design and build. We’re committed to driving towards a low carbon future, and as a result are continually implementing improvements to the way we work that promote our eco-mindset while delivering projects to our client’s high standards.

Choosing to build with timber

Wood is the most sustainable form of construction material
Every cubic metre of wood stores around 0.9 tonnes of CO2. Using wood as a building material uses dramatically less CO2 than other materials such as steel and concrete. For every m3 of wood that you choose to use on your project an approximate total of 2 tonnes less C02 is created compared to a fossil fuel intensive material.

High performance homes

Design matters when choosing to self-build your home. Our homes not only use sustainable materials at their core, but they’re designed to perform better than the latest Building Regulation standards. We design our homes to be thermally and energy efficient, with excellent levels of airtightness, making them both good for the environment and designed exactly to your specifications.

Waste management

Precision technology cuts timber for maximum efficiency. The specialist software we use cleverly selects the correct length of wood to be cut to ensure minimal waste timber.
We have procedures in place within our workshops to ensure clean conditions and minimal waste.

PassivHaus

With the launch of our award-winning WrightWall Natural and WrightRoof Natural encapsulation system, we were able to become the only oak frame company in the UK to have designed and built a certified Passivhaus. Since then, we’ve built the UK’s second oak frame certified Passivhaus, while also working with clients on many homes that far exceed standard levels of thermal efficiency following Passivhaus principles.
Passivhaus is a rigorous design standard recognised internationally that delivers high standards of comfort and health while contributing to the reduction of energy use within homes and buildings. Building to this standard helps us to future-proof your project and future energy bills.

Renewable Energy

Our Herefordshire workshops and design office roofs carry a large array of solar panels, and we use this electricity during daylight hours
Our yard uses three electric forklifts that are charged using renewable energy, while any waste timber that’s generated is sold on as firewood for biomass and stoves.

Oak and softwood timber sourcing

We source all our green oak from a group of family run forests predominantly in France, that are responsibly managed to ensure longevity and high quality oak
The softwood timber that we use is FSC approved. Timber is the only natural and renewable building material available.

STA Gold Standards

Working with the Structural Timber Association (STA) we have worked hard to achieve our gold standard
We have successfully completed a quality standard assessment as part of the STA Assure Membership and Quality Standards scheme
We operate to their Site Safe scheme, which was created to ensure timber construction is both sustainable and safe
We are up to date with the latest Building Regulations and legislation
We fully support sustainable construction and quality standards through adherence to the STA’s Code of Conduct.