Norbord’s Sterling OSB has played an important role in a new housing development in Easter Ross, Scotland which has created affordable homes, cut heating bills and showcases the very best in sustainable building technology.

It is the first development of New Energy Homes (NEH) in Scotland; a new concept in housebuilding created by the Highland Housing Alliance, which deploys technology and construction methods only previously available for one-off architect-designed homes.

When completed, the development in Kildary will comprise 17 two- and three-bedrooms houses; five of these will be sold under the Low-cost Initiative for First-time buyers (LIFT). Built by Tulloch Homes, they are one of the first homes in Scotland to use Scotframe’s Supawall insulation.

Highland Housing Alliance Chief Executive, Susan Torrance commented “Kildary is an opportunity to showcase the NEH concept which is designed and made in Scotland. It is cost effective, fast to construct and highly energy efficient using Scotframe’s SupaWall. We will be monitoring energy costs for the next two years and believe savings will be significant.”

Scotframe’s SupaWall insulation, part of a high-performance closed panel timber frame system, was the key to the thermal efficiency and insulation properties of the houses; it is the first time that Supawall has been used in such a development and it has proved ideal for reducing air leakage, preventing draughts and helping to maintain a steady temperature. These panels are made from Scottish-manufactured Sterling OSB which was selected due to its impressive environmental credentials; the panels are filled with eco-friendly foam made partly from polyoils based on rapeseed oil.

Highly versatile and strong, SterlingOSB (Oriented Strand Board), is a premium quality, multi-layered timber product which is very different from plywood yet can be used for exactly the same applications while proving kinder to the environment. Instead of being made from alternate sheets of veneer placed at 90 degrees to each other, SterlingOSB is made from layering strands of wood in specific orientations and then bonding the layers with a resin.

SterlingOSB is made from forest thinnings which are the by-product when small diameter timber is felled to give the better quality trees space to reach maturity. Plywood manufacture, on the other hand, demands large veneer sheets from relatively large diameter trees which can take many years to grow.