The Fencing Industry is behind… and Birkdale are propelling it into the future

Fencing has long suffered from a stagnation in product innovation and design approaches. The industry has found it challenging to move beyond unreliable, fragile, poorly engineered products, and the perception that fencing is the final step of a construction project. The continued reliance on traditional methods has restricted progress. However, that’s all changing.

The traditional materials like timber and concrete, that fencers have relied on in the past, are failing. Timber is frequently affected by rot or decay, and recent regulation changes in treatments have made posts even more brittle and prone to decomposition. Concrete posts have not fared better; repeated freeze-thaw cycles widen hairline cracks, causing further structural failure. For architects this results in project revisits, hidden maintenance costs passed on to clients, and potential reputation damage.

Birkdale are redefining boundaries – The emergence of new materials, particularly steel, are transforming boundary design for architects. Birkdale launched the DuraPost® range in 2018, offering steel solutions for residential and commercial applications.

Our DuraPost® Commercial and DuraPost® HD posts, coated with a Magnelis® finish, provide exceptional durability and structural integrity across demanding environments. Using cold rolled steel enhances longevity, giving architects confidence that their designs will endure durability.

Material selection isn’t the only aspect that needs re-evaluation; boundary design and planning are commonly deferred until late RIBA stages. Fencing left to the final RIBA stages leads to costly delays, mismatched aesthetics, and unnecessary waste. When boundary considerations become an afterthought, unforeseen challenges arise. These can result in reactive fixes and design compromises as installation teams hurry to resolve issues, shifting focus away from creative intent and visual continuity. For architects, this often means projects deviate from the original design or exceed budget, forcing difficult trade-offs.

Beyond cost efficiency, early stage fencing design delivers a range of performance and sustainability benefits. When high quality materials are selected and budgeted for, architects can create an outdoor space that is durable, low maintenance, and user focused. Whilst financial budgets remain important, carbon budgets are equally critical. Late product substitutions overlook embodied carbon impacts in favour of availability and cost, leading to projects with significantly higher environmental footprints than intended.

Designing for the circular economy is essential for long-term project success, however it’s application in landscaping can be unclear. Specifying systems built for longevity, alongside materials that can be easily reused and recycled at the end of their service life, helps architects integrate circularity into their designs.

At Birkdale, we want to support architects in driving this shift. We believe boundary design should begin as early as RIBA Stage 2, during concept design. When manufacturers collaborate with architects and contractors from the outset, they can recommend innovative fencing solutions to emerging challenges – whether that’s acoustic barriers for noise mitigation, soil-retaining systems, or bespoke boundary specifications. With 40+ years of industry experience and fencing experts, Birkdale provides an extensive portfolio of products and solutions to address common boundary failures, helping architects to deliver projects with confidence, precision, and long-term performance in mind.

To help architects rethink when and how boundaries are specified, we’ve created a CPD focused on early-stage fencing design. By addressing common specification challenges, it gives architects the confidence to specify modern boundary solutions with clarity and intent. Find out more or book a CPD session today at www.Birkdalesales.com/Commercial or call our commercial specification team on 0345 350 3824