Timber Technologies

The solid walls which flank the glazing are of insulated timber studwork, lined on the inside with 18mm oriented stand board (OSB), and on the outside with horizontal 18mm shiplap western red cedar boards. The floor and ceiling are OSB panels finished with a clear, fire-resistant coating.

Special timber-related features

All timber materials used in construction of the showroom and office space were sourced from the sawmill itself. The structure has pairs of exposed standard prefabricated gang-nail trusses which run just inside the glazing, giving the building its unique identity.

Background to building

In 2005 NORD Architecture was approached by East End Sawmills to provide an office and showroom facility to replace a previous building destroyed by fire. The main brief was to provide a structure that could be erected quickly, then dismantled and re-built on a different site, as the site location was in the path of the proposed M74 extension in Glasgow. The building proposal also required the use of wood products as much as possible.

The new showroom / reception is a 26.5 x 9 metre single storey extension on the south wall of the sawmills. It is designed and built from the premises’ own timber and timber products. The facades are ‘layered’ to articulate the elements from which they are made up. The outer layer is a series of vertical western red cedar fins running in front of the glazed wall on the south-west elevation. During the day, these help to reduce solar gain and glare, and create a changing pattern of reflections inside. At night, they contribute to security and make an attractive screen through which the illuminated interior can be seen.