Sustainable growth: Pinewood Structures relies on SterlingOSB Zero for offsite timber solutions

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 range 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 company’s portfolio of site-specific solutions includes both open-panel timber frame and NHBC Accepted factory-insulated closed panels, as well as floor and roof cassettes.

Peter Keogh, Sales and Marketing Manager at Pinewood Structures, explained: “Over the past 15 years, we’ve successfully completed more than 600 separate schemes, covering residential and student accommodation as well as hotels, supermarkets and other developments. We manufacture our offsite timber frame solutions at two purpose-designed factory units in Gamlingay, providing 40,000sq.ft of production space.

“Although housebuilding numbers remain flat, timber frame continues to grow its market share and we expect to increase our total capacity from around 1,500 units per year. This growth is supported by our strong involvement in affordable housing and by developers in the build-to-rent market, who favour faster, more efficient construction methods.”

Highlighting the company’s commitment to sustainability, Peter added: “In our manufacturing, we primarily use West Fraser’s 9mm SterlingOSB Zero as the sheathing for both open and closed panel systems. It’s also used in other applications, such as floor cassettes for apartment buildings, where it forms the OSB deck beneath an acoustic floor system. We also use CaberDek on certain projects.

“Pinewood has always placed a strong emphasis on sustainably sourced materials, with timber’s low embodied energy offering clear advantages. We demonstrate this to customers through responsible procurement and by partnering with trusted suppliers. West Fraser’s reliability, quality and national reach make it an ideal partner for us. Overall, we’re in a good position in the market and excited about what timber can do to help meet the climate challenge.”

West Fraser sources all its lumber from responsibly managed forests, mainly within the UK, maintaining full chain of custody to ensure sustainability through replanting and planned cropping. Local sourcing reduces transport emissions, while the company continues to invest in greener infrastructure, including a new rail head at its Inverness plant and a switch from gas to biomass energy for timber drying.

Across the group, environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments are being met ahead of schedule, with Inverness expected to achieve its 2030 sustainability targets next year.

All West Fraser panel products produced in the UK are net carbon negative, manufactured in ISO 14001–certified mills and FSC® certified (C012533). Made from locally grown timber, these products help reduce embodied carbon from transportation while supporting a sustainable, circular economy.

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