With demand for affordable housing rising across the UK, the question is no longer if we need to build more homes, but how we can build them faster, more efficiently, and with long-term sustainability in mind.
The answer increasingly lies in modern methods of construction (MMC) — and more specifically, offsite-manufactured timber frame.
Offsite Construction Meets Urgent Demand
Traditional methods of building are often too slow, too variable, and too carbon-intensive to meet the scale of the UK’s housing challenge. Timber frame construction offers a proven alternative: precision-engineered in factory conditions, delivered just-in-time, and erected on-site in a matter of days.
Using a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach, timber frame allows developers and housing associations to reduce on-site risk, improve programme certainty, and deliver homes that are consistent in quality and performance, which are all critical factors in the delivery of high-volume, cost-sensitive social and affordable housing.
Performance Built In
A timber frame solution isn’t just fast, it’s smart too. The system supports a fabric-first strategy, achieving excellent U-values, airtightness, and thermal performance. When combined with low-carbon technologies like air source heat pumps, it contributes to lower energy bills for residents and helps meet government decarbonisation targets.
This high performance also makes timber frame ideal for meeting Housing for Varying Needs and Future Homes Standard requirements.
Cloverhill: An Award-Winning Example
The recent success of the Cloverhill development in Aberdeen demonstrates what’s possible. With 536 homes delivered using Deeside Timberframe’s offsite system, including 81 fully accessible or dementia-friendly units; the project was named Social Housing Project of the Year at the 2025 Structural Timber Awards.
Cloverhill was also recently featured as part of the STA’s “Timber Frame in Practice” learning tour, where delegates visited the site to see first-hand how the system supports scalable, sustainable housing delivery.
“Timber frame is more than a construction method — it’s a delivery strategy,” said Derek Wann, Business Development Director at Deeside Timberframe. “At a time when every week counts in getting people into safe, affordable homes, timber frame delivers speed, predictability and performance. And Cloverhill proves it.”
Building a Better Future with Timber
As the affordable housing sector evolves, solutions that are faster, cleaner, and more cost-effective will become non-negotiable. Timber frame, backed by DfMA principles and modern offsite manufacturing, is already delivering on all fronts, and it’s ready to scale.
For housing associations, local authorities, and developers looking for practical ways to deliver better homes, timber frame isn’t just part of the solution. It’s the blueprint.
To speak to our team about your next project, email info@deesidetimberframe.com or call us on 01569 767 123.