A pioneering SIPs panel home
Designed in 2000, this bespoke timber frame home was a pioneering project for RRA Architects and is believed to be the first SIPs panel constructed house in the UK.
Working with timber frame specialist, Oakwrights, and the client, RRA designed a highly individual home that combined traditional craftsmanship with an innovative construction method. The client wanted something different from a conventional timber frame house, with a more open, post and beam approach inspired by American timber frames, although they still wanted the look to be “English’ to sit comfortably within it’s suburban setting.
At the time, Oakwrights was still a relatively young company. Founder Tim Crump travelled to America to meet a specialist timber frame company in Pennsylvania, where the bespoke frame was sourced. It was also during this visit that Structural Insulated Panels, known as SIPs, were introduced as a potential construction method for the project.
The client embraced the idea and the team developed the design around this new technology. The bespoke frame was made from slow-grown Douglas fir and carefully coordinated with the SIPs panel envelope, combining the warmth and character of timber with high levels of insulation and construction precision.
Project highlights
- A bespoke post and beam timber frame
- Structural Insulated Panels, known as SIPs, used for the external envelope
- Slow-grown Douglas fir sourced from America
- A central octagonal atrium with a complex roof structure
- A generous entrance hall and feature staircase
- Open-plan family living spaces with exposed timber structure
- High levels of insulation for improved energy performance
- A carefully coordinated frame, pre-cut, pre-drilled and numbered for assembly on site
Innovation before it became mainstream
Today, SIPs are a well-established construction method, valued for their thermal performance, speed of construction and suitability for low-energy homes. At the time, however, this was a genuinely new approach in the UK.
The project required careful coordination between RRA Architects, Oakwrights and the American timber frame supplier. This was long before video calls, easy file sharing and everyday high-speed internet. Communication across time zones had to be carefully managed, and every detail needed to be checked thoroughly. Particularly as the American team used imperial measurements, while the UK design and construction team worked in metric. Every dimension had to be coordinated accurately, which was especially important given the complexity of the design.
At the centre of the house is a dramatic octagonal atrium, with the staircase following the geometry of the space and a highly complex roof structure above. The frame, posts and beams were all pre-cut, pre-drilled and numbered before being shipped to site, meaning the design information had to be clear, precise and carefully resolved before manufacture.
The completed house brought together character, craftsmanship and technical innovation. Its timber frame gives warmth and structure to the interiors, while the SIPs panels helped create a more energy-efficient building envelope.
For RRA Architects, this remains a memorable example of forward-thinking residential design: a one-off family home that embraced new construction technology long before it became familiar in the UK housebuilding industry.
Thank you to Savills and the current owners for their kind permission to use the photos.