Interview with Frances Gardner of MAKAR
Who Are MAKAR?
MAKAR’s tagline, ‘Natural Homes, Healthy Living’ sums it up. Established in 2002, MAKAR has delivered over 250 of the UK’s most innovative net zero ecological buildings and timber frame homes, using locally sourced natural materials and advanced off-site manufacturing. We specialise in beautifully designed, healthy and affordable timber homes.
Cromarty Courtyard House Project Summary
A3 Example Home. 125m2
Single storey with level access
Traditional pitched roof design with large overhanging eaves
3 bedrooms
Accessible shower room
En-suite
Large utility room
Using Larch from Logie Timber
For this house, built in Cromarty’s conservation area, and within a walled courtyard, MAKAR used Scottish Larch, sourced at Logie Timber, and Spruce. Naturally durable timber materials such as Larch are particularly favourable for external use to avoid the endemic use of chemical treatments. Larch is an excellent exterior cladding in this respect. Using Logie Timber means that we know the timber is graded by Logie to a very high quality standard and finish; finishes can be off-saw or planed which gives us flexibility. Using Logie Timber fits with our ethos of local sourcing as well.
Overcoming the Project’s Challenges
The challenges for this project were the transport logistics and the need to close the road by the home at certain key points of the build, and timing deliveries carefully, particularly with Cromarty being a busy tourist destination. However, MAKAR’s fast assembly times meant minimal disruption compared to a traditional build. With a fast working team and our n-SIP system, and off-site construction, this home was assembled in just two days.
Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)
Our Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) methodology, often referred to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), is based on off-site prefabrication of large timber panelised ‘sub-assemblies’ complete with windows and doors, external cladding, and insulation. Every panel is made in a controlled workshop environment for precision, quality, and minimal waste, and delivered to site for rapid assembly. The natural materials which make up these natural Structured Insulated Panels (n‑SIPs) such as larch, other untreated timber, and cellulose, eliminate toxic by-products and support material reuse.
Every Home is a Net Zero Home
This and all MAKAR’s homes are designed to be delivered as net zero in relation to embodied carbon or upfront carbon. This means the carbon expenditure in relation to the whole life cycle delivery of the home has been balanced against the sum sequestration of carbon stored in the timber and other natural materials within the home. This is made possible by combining timber superstructures with high-performance fabric, natural materials and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) allowing for minimal time on site, dramatically reducing embodied carbon and operational emissions.
An independent study of previous MAKAR homes demonstrated embodied carbon figures 27% lower than standard timber frame houses and 39% lower than brick-built Passivhaus equivalents. In fact, the homes studied sequestered biogenic carbon — up to 39 tonnes per home — through use of untreated Scottish timber and cellulose insulation.
MAKAR and Logie TImber
MAKAR and Logie Timber have been working together for several years now. Scott Reid of MAKAR says,
‘The crucial task is responding to Scotland’s natural resources. We have used our experience as architects to design buildings that use that material. Keeping our business local and our products local and focusing on a circular economy after use of the materials is really important to us as well.
We are quality driven, ensuring that our buildings are as energy efficient as they as they can be with the materials that we’ve got available to us.
Materials we get from Logie are typically European larch grown in Scotland and Douglas fir, and they’re generally sourced within 50 miles of Logie itself, and we are obviously close with Logie based near Forres and us in Inverness; that keeps the supply chain short.
The key to it is the quality of the product, this means that the product they provide to us is to spec. The product is also delivered to us in such a way that it meets the highest standards and the highest quality. Logie are also flexible if there are any elements that on occasion need to be returned, then they can get utilised for something else and they replace it.
The timber from Logie for us is predominantly Larch, used as an exterior cladding. We’re also using Douglas Fir as soffit and Douglas fir and Larch for structural post and beam elements. These are all graded by Logie to a very high quality standard and finish; finishes can be off-saw or planed giving us flexibility.
Larch is the one of the more durable softwoods available to us so it’s got a good external life expectancy beyond 30 years, getting it graded and assorted specifically for MAKAR ensures that we’re getting the highest quality.’
Aside from supplying timber to MAKAR for their projects, one particular project with Logie TImber came far closer to home when MAKAR designed our second sawmill shed, using their unique large span apex and girder truss design to create a huge building with no internal pillars and leaving all the space useable for our vast Mebor sawmill and other machines. More on this unique project in another post!
