Development of Performance-based Standards for External Timber Cladding

This paper reviews the background to, and development of, new British Standards for external timber cladding. The standards are being produced because timber has become a widely used external cladding material in the UK and this has highlighted that existing standards on the topic are inadequate. When fully published, the BS 8605 series will offer performance-based specifications and guidance on the main issues affecting external timber cladding. The standards involve multi-compliant performance measures; several technical conflicts had to be addressed.