©naturally:wood

More B.C. municipalities are providing incentives, planning tools and creating policies that support the adoption of mass timber construction. And the appeal isn’t just about its good looks. The District of Saanich’s decision to select a mass timber hybrid design for the Saanich Fire Station No 2 that is now under construction was also about its life-cycle performance and low-embodied carbon, according to Stacy McGhee, manager of strategic facilities planning with the District of Saanich. In a Canadian Wood Council webinar, McGhee said during the pre-design stage, the district looked at three options for the firehall: maintain the existing building, select the most economical design, or select a performance-based building that included mass timber. Based on a calculated life-cycle cost over 80 years, the performance-based design was the least expensive by about $5 million, making it the district’s choice, a first Step 3 commercial compliant building under the B.C. Energy Step Code in Saanich.