Timber Building Construction Consultancy
Andrew Holloway is a highly experienced and respected consultant specialising in historic and modern timber structures. With over forty years in the industry, his work encompasses design, engineering, fabrication, conservation and repair.
He began his career as a conservation carpenter at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum under the guidance of Christopher Zeuner OBE and master carpenter Roger Champion. Encounters with Paul Russell and John Winterbottom, both trained in Paris with the Compagnons du Devoir, placed him in the vanguard of the oak frame revival that emerged from the Arts and Crafts movement. This marked the beginning of a long engagement with historically accurate carpentry practices and their relevance to both conservation and new construction.
He understands timber buildings from the carpenter’s point of view; how frames are set out 1:1 scale on the framing floor, joints marked out and cut, datums established, assembly marks inscribed and the frame trial assembled before erection. These practical insights allow him to understand historic buildings from the carpenters perspective and to make informed judgements that protect heritage value whilst addressing structural and functional needs.
Andrew Holloway Consulting provides advice on historic timber buildings from early appraisal and feasibility through to detailed survey, repair strategy and delivery. Services include condition and measured surveys, understanding building typology, advice on dendro-dating and historic significance, and the development of repair specification and methodology. For new buildings, advice is provided on the most appropriate structural approach, timber selection and procurement, buildability, cost, envelope design and performance, and supporting clients and design teams in making well informed and considered decisions.
Before training as a carpenter, Andrew completed an Arts Foundation, a Degree in Ceramics and ran a studio producing wood fired stoneware for seven years. The discipline of critical visual awareness and understanding the properties of the materials developed through this work continues to inform his approach to the design of timber buildings.
Andrew is a member of ICOMOS and serves on both the UK and International Wood Committees. He is a member of the Carpenters Fellowship, a conference speaker and a provider of CPD lectures.
He is the founder and former Managing Director of The Green Oak Carpentry Company and co-author of Green Oak in Construction, published by TRADA in 2007 with Peter Ross of Arup and Christopher Mettem of TRADA. Andrew teaches a module of the MSc in Timber Building Conservation at The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, a course accredited by York, a Russell Group University.
Images used throughout this website are reproduced with the kind permission of the Green Oak Carpentry Company Ltd.
This breadth of experience enables him to see projects in the round, understanding the perspectives of both clients, architects, engineers, and surveyors, as well as the conservation officers and planners. He has a good understanding of timber engineering and designing for longevity.
Before starting on a new project involving a timber structure, modern or historic, talk to Andrew for advice on the best approach to achieving planning and listed building consent, preparation of a brief, selection of consultants, early conversations with specialists, and cost planning.