Kashdan-Brown Architects Reaches For The Sky With SterlingOSB Zero

As the annual SterlingOSB Zero/RIBAJ competition celebrated its 10th anniversary,  the 2025 competition entitled Powers of Ten, challenged architects to explore the principles of scale. Entrants were unrestricted by building standards and were free to play with the concept of scale and design a structure from competition sponsor West Fraser's SterlingOSB  Zero.

This year's competition winner, Kashdan-Brown Architects, imagined a 1:10 scale model reconstruction of the 140-metre-high missing spire of Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire. Here Julian Kashdan-Brown talks about his winning entry and what SterlingOSB Zero provides architects. 

Q. What inspired your design for the competition? 

The brief this year was very much about scale, and scale is an interesting thing looking back into the past at some enormous edifices. Of course, with the economy with which we must build today, it's impossible to build to the kind of scale common previously. I was interested in trying to produce a piece at a small scale; but which 

evoked the idea of the grand scale of buildings of the past. That’s what eventually inspired the idea to recreate the fallen part of Malmesbury Abbey which is, of course, ten times the size of the OSB version that we designed ourselves. 

Q. What are some of the common challenges you face in meeting sustainability targets? 

It is increasingly difficult to meet sustainability targets today.  To begin with, it was about the nature of the material that you were specifying and how that material might be produced; and how much energy is consumed in doing that. Now it's about whole life cycle costings as well.  It is, therefore, important to consider every aspect of the material. In the case of SterlingOSB Zero, it's not just the timber that is within; it’s the way in which it is bonded together; and the sources from which those come and the degree of transportation involved. We need to consider all these points now when we specify materials for buildings. 

Q. How has designing with SterlingOSB Zero informed your view as a material regarding its versatility and aesthetic? 

With SterlingOSB Zero, I probably have more experience of it than many architects might have as I teach architecture and engineering students at the University of Bath. One or two of the projects, particularly the first project they are involved in, is often centred around building something with a certain number of materials. One of these is OSB.

I have seen these group projects come to fruition over the last decade and I've seen many students master the workability of OSB and the ways in which they might be able to join the board with other materials as well. I think that's informed my understanding of the degree of accuracy that you can achieve with the material and the way it's cut, and the way it's bonded to other materials as well.  It’s been particularly helpful for me.  

For further information, call 01786 812 921 or visit https://uk.westfraser.com

IG Masonry Support Plays Key Role In Contemporary New Build Family Home

The Glade House is a bespoke five-bedroom home situated in a secluded woodland clearing in Surrey. Designed by award-winning AR Design Studio, this contemporary new-build redefines the family home with a clear architectural intent: to create seamless connections between the built form and the natural landscape through structure, material, and light.

Replacing an outdated property that no longer met modern standards, the new home was shaped through close collaboration between architect and client to deliver a highly tailored space, where refined construction detailing supports both lifestyle and design ambition. The architectural form is defined by four slender linear brick walls that extend from the building out into the surrounding landscape.

These brick elements divide the garden into distinct outdoor spaces and define generous, open-plan interiors at ground level. IG Masonry Support partnered with EH Smith to ensure that its prefabricated masonry systems aligned seamlessly with this challenging and highly bespoke brick format. The project utilised Product 14013711, a unique 40 mm-high brick, the minimum height achievable for a brick unit. 

This specialist product was fundamental to achieving the fine linear expression central to the design. IG Masonry Support's collaboration ensured full compatibility between support systems and brick coursing, maintaining the architectural clarity envisioned by AR Design Studio. To support the delivery of this architecturally ambitious build, IG Masonry Support was proud to supply a combination of advanced solutions, including B.O.S.S. A1 (Brick on Soffit System) units, welded masonry support, and brick slip lintels, all tailored to achieve the precise detailing demanded by the design. 

In total, IG Masonry Support supplied 17.33 linear metres of brick slip lintels across the project, including six units used both internally and externally. The largest lintel is installed inside, forming a key transition between the dramatic double-height entrance void and the open-plan kitchen/living area — a focal point of the home’s interior layout. They also supplied two B.O.S.S. A1 units, designed to deliver seamless deep soffit brickwork in key areas: one installed over the 5.2-metre garage opening, and another spanning a 7-metre opening into the main residence. 

These prefabricated, A1 fire-rated units provided crisp, uninterrupted brick detailing while offering major time savings during installation. In total, 12.2 linear metres of B.O.S.S. were used on the project. Due to the unique dimensions of the 40mm-high brick, the soffit areas couldn’t achieve a traditional stretcher bond throughout. Smaller cuts had to be introduced at random intervals to accommodate the soffit geometry. This adjustment was necessary to maintain the clean aesthetic and ensure accurate alignment with the bespoke support systems, without compromising the visual intent of the design.  

These masonry support solutions enabled the successful execution of the floating soffits and brick-lined walls that define the visual rhythm of the building, both structurally and architecturally. The Glade House is a carefully crafted home that celebrates architectural clarity and natural context. IG Masonry Support is proud to have played a key role in its successful realisation.  https://igmasonrysupport.com

Pinewood Structures Using SterlingOSB Zero Across Its Offsite Systems

A specialist timber engineering company, active throughout East Anglia and the Home Counties, is making extensive use of West Fraser’s SterlingOSB Zero in the production of its diverse offering of high performance, sustainable offsite solutions.

Based in the village of Gamlingay on the Cambridgeshire-Bedfordshire border, Pinewood Structures was established in 1981 and has grown steadily to become one of the UK’s foremost suppliers of timber-based systems across a variety of sectors, including housing and retirement developments, hotels and student living. The selection of site-specific solutions includes both open panel timber frame and ‘NHBC Accepted’ status factory insulated closed panels as well as floor and roof cassettes.

The Sales and Marketing Manager for Pinewood Structures, Peter Keogh, commented: “Over the past 15 years we have successfully completed over 600 separate schemes encompassing not only residential and student accommodation, but also hotels, supermarkets and other types of development. We manufacture our offsite timber frame solutions at our two purpose-designed factory units in Gamlingay, which provide us with 40,000 square feet of production space.

“Importantly, although numbers for the housebuilding industry remain flat, timber frame is steadily growing its market share, and we confidently expect to increase our total capacity from the current figure of approximately 1500 units per year: partly due to the fact we work a lot in affordable housebuilding which is being quite strongly supported by the Government. We are also working with registered providers and developers targeting the buy-to-rent market who favour a quick build method.”

Referencing the company’s commitments to being a sustainable supplier, Peter added: “In terms of our manufacturing, we primarily use the West Fraser 9mm Sterling OSB Zero as the sheathing to our open and closed panel systems; though it is also employed in other applications such as for fabricating floor cassettes for apartment buildings which will have an OSB deck onto which an acoustic floor system is installed. We also use CaberDek for some projects.

“Pinewood has long had a strong emphasis on the use of sustainably sourced materials, with the low embodied energy of timber having obvious attractions, which we need to prove to our customers through sustainable procurement. In addition, as a major manufacturer, we need a strong supply chain with West Fraser being a national supplier able to support us through reliability and quality. Overall, we are in a good place in the market and are excited about the future for timber frame and what timber products can do to help meet climate challenge.”

West Fraser ensures that all its lumber is sourced from responsibly managed forests, mainly in the UK, carrying full chain of custody meaning stocks are conserved by replanting and carefully planned cropping. While local sourcing reduces mileage, West Fraser is also investing heavily in a new rail head for its Inverness plant and buys only renewable electricity for the site - and has switched from gas power to biomass for its drying process. Across the group, ESG commitments are being delivered, and Inverness is on course to attain its 2030 targets next year.

All West Fraser panel products produced in the UK are net carbon negative and manufactured in mills that have obtained the coveted environmental ISO 14001 accreditation.  Responsibly sourced, the panels are FSC® certified (C012533) and created from locally grown timber, cutting embodied carbon from transportation. For further information, call 01786 812 921 or visit https://uk.westfraser.com