A cosy spruce-panelled wooden room with a large circular window overlooking a garden. Cushions and potted plants sit on a built-in bench, while shelves below hold books, towels, and toys for a sustainable touch.

Garden Studio by U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2022

Three people view exhibits in a modern gallery featuring light plywood walls; one stands by a wall display, another examines a case, and a third smiles near the back. The bright space showcases modular designs with overhead lighting.

A modern office space with light spruce wooden doors and glass panels, exposed pipes on the ceiling, and a person sitting at a desk in the background near large windows showcase an elegant touch of modular design.

A bright, modern tiny house interior with light spruce wood walls, a kitchenette, a dining table, a modular built-in bed by a large window, and shelves. Sunlight streams in, and lush greenery can be seen outside.

Unplugged, Photograph @Pasco Photography

A cosy, well-lit bookshop with sustainable birch wooden shelves full of books and magazines, tables displaying colourful books, and two people talking at the counter in the background under a wall clock.

LCBA by U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2022

A group of large, light plywood boxes is stacked in an abstract arrangement on a rooftop, with orange smoke billowing behind them and buildings visible in the background under a clear sky.

Five people work together to lift and position a large spruce beam, highlighting sustainable timber construction, inside a room with shelves and stacks of timber panels in the background.

Goodbye from lovely ply…

Six people wearing hard hats work together to lift and position a large wooden beam, showcasing the reuse of materials on a construction site surrounded by wooden blocks, steps, and trees in the background.

This is an interior kitchen photograph of Box House. It is made of U-Build in collaboration with Studio Bark and has been featured on the Grand Designs TV show.

A person sits on the floor of a partially constructed timber room, leaning against the wall. Sunlight pours through large, open windows and unfinished beams above, highlighting the sustainable construction materials and scaffolding outside.

Why Plywood?

You may have noticed that we use lots of plywood in our projects and products. There is a good reason for this.

Plywood is used for building because of its strength, durability, and cost-effectiveness. Its cross-laminated structure of thin wood veneers provides superior strength and stability, resisting warping, shrinkage, and cracking better than solid wood. This makes it a versatile material suitable for a wide range of construction applications, from structural elements like walls and roofs to interior finishes and furniture.

Key benefits of using plywood

Strength and stability: Plywood’s layered design with alternating grain directions gives it a high strength-to-weight ratio and makes it resistant to twisting, warping, and shrinking.
Versatility: It can be used for both structural purposes, such as framing walls, floors, and roofs, and for more aesthetic applications like interior paneling and furniture.
Durability: Plywood is resistant to moisture, rot, and insects, and some types, like marine plywood, are specifically made for wet conditions. It also has good fire resistance ratings.
Cost-effectiveness: Compared to solid timber, plywood is often a more affordable option for many building projects.
Ease of use: It is relatively easy to cut, shape, and work with, and it comes in a variety of thicknesses and grades to suit different needs.

So there you have it. We also use modern machine technology to cut our plywood. This is in the form of a CNC (Computer numerical controlled) machine.

A CNC machine is used to achieve high precision, efficiency, and accuracy in cutting and shaping plywood for projects ranging from prototyping to large-scale production. Using a CNC machine for plywood is beneficial because the material is strong, stable, and cost-effective, while the machine’s automated process increases speed, minimises material waste, and allows for the creation of complex designs and repeatable parts.

Benefits of using a CNC machine

High precision and accuracy: CNC machines transform digital designs into physical parts with a high degree of accuracy, which is essential for complex joints and detailed designs.
Increased efficiency: Automated and continuous operation allows for faster production times and the ability to work on projects that would be difficult or impossible with traditional hand tools.
Repeatable results: Once a digital file is created, a CNC machine can produce identical parts multiple times, which is ideal for mass production or when many identical components are needed.
Reduced waste: CNC machines can optimize material usage and cut pieces with minimal scrap, helping to reduce waste.
Complex designs: CNC machines can create intricate shapes, patterns, and parts with high levels of detail, such as perforated panels for decorative or functional purposes.
Plywood’s suitability: Plywood is an ideal material for CNC cutting because it is strong, stable, and can be cut to high precision without significant difficulties or surface damage. Its standardisation also means a design can be reliably cut anywhere using a single digital file. This means the U-Build system can be produced anywhere in the world with a CNC machine.

The marrying of these two elements means U-Build, in its purest form, can be optimised as a simple solution to many construction problems.