What are the issues affecting the introduction of glued laminated timber plants within the Scottish timber industry? Part 1 Dissertation 2004 Lee Gerard Nellis University of Strathclyde | UK Arguably, glue laminated timber (glulam) has become the fastest growing structural material within the UK. The market for glulam is increasing each year, a market that the Scottish Timber Industry has the potential to be a major part of. Innovation and change remain the prominent factors determining whether Scotland’s forestry industry can survive within the current, fierce international market. Scotland needs to look at consumer needs from a new angle and create future markets that will allow its timber resource to be exploited and utilised to its full potential. Currently, Scotland’s native timber resource is under utilised by the UK construction industry, possibly because of its poor strength reputation. This has had a direct impact on the Scottish Timber Industry in recent years, as the UK imports nearly all of its structural timber. There are clear signs that Scotland can combat this current trend by substituting imports with home grown timber. Scottish timber used within the manufacture of glulam could potentially provide a new market for Scottish timber and make it feasible for it to be utilised structurally. Continuity, innovation, imagination and the need for change are matters that the timber industry in Scotland needs to implement if it wants to move forward. The issue of whether glulam can provide a potential solution needs to be discussed. Lee’s dissertation is complex and multidisciplinary, offering a detailed exploration of the current state of Scotland’s forestry industry and extensive research into the process of manufacturing glue-laminated timber combined with its applications in Architectural design. The dissertation is unique, including academic information and anecdotal evidence on the state of the UK glue-lamination industry in 2004. A detailed questionnaire combined with interviews with industry leading experts, provides cutting edge information and offers exclusive insight into the topic.The final work joins together all the threads of the argument and results in a well-written, excellently executed and referenced example of academic research.