11,500m2 18mm SmartPly OSB3 is being used for a new care home and affordable housing units at the 1,200 acre Newcastle Great Park (NGP) development; an impressive and sustainable urban development situated in the North East of England.

Three miles from Newcastle city centre and positioned in a rural setting, half of the site will be devoted to woodland, while the park development itself will encompass high quality residential dwellings, affordable housing, commercial premises and community facilities.

Local architectural firms Anthony Watson Chartered Architects and Ian Darby Partnership respectively designed the care home and affordable housing units, and north east builders merchant James Burrell supplied the SmartPly OSB3 specified for flat roofing and flooring throughout both projects.

FSC certified SmartPly OSB is manufactured by compressing precisely engineered strands of wood coated with an exterior grade glue and compressed under high temperature. The result is a load-bearing panel suitable for structural use in humid environments, with a reliable distribution of strength, stiffness and spanning capacity both along and across the board; ideal for applications as diverse as roofing, flooring, hoarding and wall sheathing. It has no structural defects, no knotholes or core voids, and is easy to work with. It cuts easily, will not delaminate and can be machined with consistent results.

For roofing, SmartPly OSB is suitable for structural, flat or pitched roof decking and as a pitched roof lining for tiles or slates. SmartPly boards meet the structural performance required for pitched or flat roof applications and are used for new buildings, renovations and loft conversions. For flooring applications, it is incredibly strong and versatile. SmartPly's suitability for structural use is also recognised by Homebond, Local Authority Building Inspectors and the NHBC.

Trevor Bailey from timber frame contractor, Truss Systems Ltd., says "SmartPly OSB is FSC certified, eco-friendly, high quality and very consistent, as well as being cost effective - all of which are necessary for our work on these projects at Great Park".

The care home and affordable housing projects will be completed in December 2009, and Newcastle Great Park is expected to continue to be developed over the next 5 to 10 years.