Our Year in Review 2021

Following on from a challenging year in 2020, we have been pleased to see the construction industry bounce back, with activity returning close to pre-pandemic levels. Throughout this time, we have endeavoured to support our suppliers, customers and manufacturing partners, to ensure the successful completion of many inspiring projects and to see the return of industry events that we’ve all greatly missed.

Demand for timber remains high, with supply thinly stretched, however, amidst the changing market we will continue to support our customers and supply chain with their timber needs.

Construction sales leads and industry insight provider Glenigan is forecasting an increase in hotel and leisure construction over the next two years as the sector continues to recover, as well as in the health and community sectors due to additional Government funding. In their 'Construction Industry Forecast 2022-2023' they make a number of key recommendations including an increased focus towards working more efficiently through the investment of design solutions and the adoption of offsite or prefabricated manufacturing options.

This year our business has seen a number of changes and developments.

In April, we expanded our showroom locations to include St Albans. This well-placed office in Redbourne means we are best placed to assist our clients and supply partners in North London, the Home Counties, East Anglia and the Midlands.

In May, our company expanded its product and service offering with the acquisition of cladding distributor and fabricator SBS Cladding Ltd.

We look forward to next year and all the exciting opportunities to come!

This year saw the return of some of the most prestigious industry awards and events and we have enjoyed being able to once again support our architectural partners to encourage innovation in design and a commitment to developing buildings for the enhancement of people’s lives and the protection of our planet.

For three years we have supported the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) and we continued our involvement this year with a walking tour focused on the theme of ‘care’. Starting at Bankside, we explored buildings which demonstrate how architects, planners and contractors have taken care within the built environment. Find out more about this year’s festival here.

We were delighted to once again partner with the Birmingham Architectural Association (BAA) as they relaunched, to support Birmingham’s ever-growing architecture and design community. Find out more about the fantastic work the BAA do here.

We were also excited to support the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for a fourth year through the sponsorship of their ‘Project Architect of the Year’ category at the regional awards, as well as their CPD programme.

Following the postponement of the 2020 awards, it was fantastic to finally be able to recognise and celebrate all of the outstanding projects put forward for awards. To view all of the 2021 regional award winners, click here.

In October the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize returned, highlighting the most impressive projects from across the UK. We are incredibly proud to have been involved with two of the shortlisted Stirling Prize nominees; Cambridge Mosque and the winner, Kingston University Town House.

To find out more about the RIBA Stirling Prize winner, click here.

And finally, a number of exceptional projects were shortlisted for The Brick Development Association (BDA) Brick Awards. We were delighted to see four projects we were fortunate to be involved with receive commendation and a huge congratulations to the team at Haverstock who won the Architects’ Choice Award for Lea Fields Crematorium. Main contractors Willmott Dixon and brick subcontractor Phoenix Brickwork UK worked with Taylor Maxwell to specify and supply our exclusive Carsington Cream bricks to the project’s facade.

As a business we are always exploring ways in which we can offer the best products and services to our customers. In line with these changes, we have updated our Group product brochure. Be inspired by an array of new project case studies, product illustrations and a selection of different colours and finishes.

To view the latest versions of all of our brochures, click here.

Through working with our valued project partners, we have been involved with a number of great projects this year! As we reach the end of 2021, we’ve taken a look back at some of our most memorable project case studies.

• Hampton by Hilton, Manchester
• Collaborative Teaching Lab, University of Birmingham
• Southampton Crossings
• Grantley Hall

Working on a project design concept? Be inspired by more of our case studies here.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers and partners for their ongoing trust and support as we all continue to navigate the challenges the last couple of years have presented. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!