Leading timber frame manufacturer, Frame Wise, is spreading the word on energy-efficient construction by touring the country with a mobile exhibition trailer promoting its innovative wall and floor designs and featuring particleboard flooring from Norbord and engineered I Joists from Boise.

The exhibition trailer is touring England and Wales visiting regional trade exhibitions and making regular stops at merchant outlets en route.

“We have taken part in the usual trade shows in the past, but we wanted something more flexible – something that would get our name out there and raise the profile of Frame Wise and its suppliers” explains Frame Wise Managing Director, Simon Orrells.

“The new mobile roadshow is like a massive billboard which will be seen by thousands of people as it travels up and down the country” he adds.

The custom-built trailer opens out to reveal product displays including several cross-sections of Frame Wise designs revealing construction details and insulation options. Frame Wise floor panels are made using Boise’s BCI engineered timber joists and Norbord Caberdek tongue-and-grooved flooring panels.

Boise and Norbord products are also key components in Frame Wise’s unique double-skin wall panel which, although just 350mm thick, delivers a U-value of less than 0.1 W/sq mK.

In addition to the products themselves, the Frame Wise Roadshow also includes a continuously-running PowerPoint presentation explaining the “Frame Wise Experience” and showing the sequence of production from placement of order through manufacture to assembly on site.

The 5m long, 2.4m wide trailer started its tour of England and Wales in mid-April following the appointment of Frame Wise as an authorised distributor for Boise’s BCI Joists in the UK. As well as using BCI Joists in its own timber-frame floor cassettes, Frame Wise now supplies the joists to other housebuilders and developers as a superior alternative to sawn timber joists.

The Roadshow is appearing at several merchant outlets throughout the summer, as well as making an appearance at scheduled trade shows. Personnel from both Boise and Norbord are attending some of the events to provide additional support for the Roadshow.

“By the end of September, we will have completed about twenty Roadshows and taken the timber frame message to thousands of potential clients” says Simon.