Dr Ivor Davies

Ivor is a wood scientist and technologist. He is particularly interested in how timber and related materials can contribute to enhancing building performance and the circular economy. He is best known for his work on the design and performance of timber façades.

Before joining CAT in 2020, Ivor worked at Edinburgh Napier University for 16 years where he taught on several undergraduate and masters programmes and was a research fellow in the Institute for Sustainable Construction. Ivor had previously worked for seven years as a project manager in a charity promoting the improved management and use of native woodlands in the Scottish Highlands. He has also worked as technical manager in a manufacturing joinery company. Ivor originally trained as a visual artist and had worked in that field for several years before becoming distracted by timber. He still enjoys ‘making stuff’ and uses these skills in his teaching wherever possible.

Alongside his work at CAT, Ivor is an expert witness on construction disputes involving timber and a consultant for the Timber Decking and Cladding Association. He is a member of British Standards Institution technical committee B/543 and a research associate at Edinburgh Napier University.

Qualifications and professional affiliations

PhD Edinburgh Napier University

PgDip Hooke Park

BA(Hons) Lancaster University

FHEA (Fellow of the Higher Education Academy)

Research interests

Sustainable design principles and materials.

Technical design and practical use of building materials, especially timber.

Design and performance of timber façades and other building enclosures.

Regulatory and legal requirements for sustainable building materials.

Service life issues including durability, weathering, material reuse, and carbon storage.

Teaching

Ivor teaches on CAT’s Sustainability and Adaptation suite of programmes, particularly the MSc in Green Building. He previously taught on several built environment, engineering, and sustainability programmes at Edinburgh Napier University and was a visiting lecturer elsewhere, including the MArch programme at CAT. Ivor has considerable experience delivering continuing professional development events and short courses.

Selected publications

Davies, I. (2016) Sustainable construction timber – Sourcing and specifying local timber. (2^nd Edition) Edinburgh, Forestry Commission.

Davies, I. (2015) Developing performance-based standards for external timber cladding. Energy Procedia, 78, 183-188.

BSI (2014) BS 8605-1:2014 External timber cladding – Part 1: Method of specifying. London, British Standards Institution. [Ivor was technical author and chaired the BSI drafting panel].

Jones, D., Davies, I., Sharphouse, P. & Suttie, E. (2013) Grading UK grown larch for durability. Proc. IRG-WP annual meeting 2013. Stockholm, International Research Group on Wood Protection. pp 10808-10811.

Davies, I., Fairfield, C., Stupart, A. & Wilson, P. (2012) Moisture conditions in timber cladding: field trial data for Sitka spruce. Proc. ICE – Construction materials, 165, 263-278.

Davies, I., Fairfield, C., Stupart, A. & Wood, J. (2012) External timber cladding: design and performance. The structural engineer: J. Inst. Strut. Eng. 90, 46-53.

MacDonald, E., Cooper, G., Davies, I. & Freke, B. (2011) Scots pine timber: current utilisation and future market prospects in Scotland. Scottish forestry. 62, 12-21.

Davies, I. & Wood J. (2010) Exterior timber cladding: design, installation and performance. Edinburgh, ARCA Media.

Davies, I. (2010) Sustainable construction timber – Sourcing and specifying local timber. Edinburgh, ARCA Media.

Crawford, D., Hairstans, R. & Davies, I. (2010) Structural performance of external timber cladding. Proc. 11th World Conf. on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2010), Trento, Italy. pp. 2354-2358.

Davies, I. (2008) Evidence-based design of timber facades. Proc. 10th World Conf. on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2008). Miyazaki, Japan. Redhook, NY, Curran Associates. pp 7-13.

Davies, I., Stupart, A. & Choo, B. (2004) Timber cladding on the coastal fringe of North-west Europe. Proc. 8th World Conf. on Timber Engineering. (WCTE 2004). Finnish Assoc. of Civil Eng., Helsinki. Vol. 2, pp 589-594.

Davies I (2004) Wood as a design material. Proc. Timber and the Built Environment Conf., Edinburgh, October 2002. Edinburgh, Historic Scotland. pp 71-74.

Davies, I. & Watt G. (2003) Making the grade – a guide to appearance grading UK hardwoods. Edinburgh, ARCA Publications.

Davies, I., Walker, B., & Pendlebury, J. (2002). Timber Cladding in Scotland. ARCA Publications.