Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Wood Council is pleased to announce the winning projects of the 41st annual Wood Design & Building Awards program. This prestigious awards program recognizes and celebrates the outstanding work of architectural professionals from Canada and around the world for excellence in wood design and construction. “The diversity and creativity in this year’s winning projects demonstrate how wood can connect people with nature,” says Martin Richard, Vice President of Communications and Market Development at the Canadian Wood Council (CWC). “These designs not only showcase wood’s versatility, but also create spaces that enrich daily life and support community well-being. They are high-performance solutions that respond to today’s urgent need for housing, schools, and community spaces.” …In total, 38 projects from Canada and around the world were honoured at the Wood Design and Building Awards celebration hosted Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the Woodrise Conference in Vancouver, BC. View a video compilation of this year’s winners here: WoodDesignandBuildingAwards2025/

FPInnovations has a new addition to its roster of wood-building construction guides—the Offsite Wood Construction Handbook. Industrialized offsite construction, also known as prefabricated or modular construction, is a construction method where building materials and components are manufactured and assembled offsite in factories before being transported to the project site for the final assembly. This approach can improve efficiency, reduce cost, and enhance quality compared to the traditional onsite construction. Industrialized offsite construction results from the reality of labour shortages, as well as the desire to automate manufacturing processes and shorten delivery schedules. …This free handbook is available for download now.

When Nak’azdli Development Corp. (NDC) unveils its inaugural Timber House next month – a unique prefabricated home in Canada that uses stud lumber from local saw mills and an innovative panel construction system by local forestry startup Deadwood Innovations – visitors will see firsthand what’s possible when academia partners with business to solve pressing challenges. Reflecting on Canada’s housing crisis and challenges faced by the forestry industry, “there has been a lot of emphasis recently on fast-tracking mass timber construction for large-scale buildings in large urban centres, but very little focus on supporting regional housing, tailored to the specific needs of remote and rural communities,” said Owen Miller, Deadwood Innovations CEO and co-founder, explaining that these large projects primarily use high-cost dimension lumber. “Our approach is all about tapping into local lumber, resources and expertise to build housing that aligns with community and cultural needs, is sustainable and delivers affordable homes built to last,” Miller said. 

We’re proud to share the story of Limberlost Place, the world’s first 10-storey exposed mass timber academic tower — a landmark project at George Brown College that redefines what’s possible in sustainable construction. Limberlost Place demonstrates how mass timber reduces carbon, enhances well-being, and delivers design innovation at scale. It’s also a story of collaboration — bringing together architects, engineers, contractors, and educators to set a new standard for the built environment. Watch the full video case study now to see how Canada is building a more sustainable future.

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) welcomes the federal government’s launch of the Build Canada Homes (BCH) agency, announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Backed by a $13 billion investment and a plan to construct 4,000 homes across six federally owned sites, BCH will fast-track the delivery of affordable, sustainable housing nationwide. “This commitment to factory-built housing and prefabricated building components, including both mass timber and light wood frame systems, directly supports the architects, engineers, and builders we work with every day. It enables them to rapidly deploy quality homes at scale, while meeting Canada’s sustainability and affordability goals,” said Rick Jeffery, President and CEO of CWC. “We’re especially encouraged by BCH’s plan to adopt a ‘Buy Canadian’ policy and streamline permitting for bulk projects.”

Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes the federal government’s creation of the Build Canada Homes (BCH) agency. “The top priority of our sector continues to be seeing the federal government get the best trade deal possible at the Canada-US negotiating table. There are no measures that will offset the impacts of a prolonged trade dispute with our biggest trading partner. That said, we welcome Prime Minister Carney’s commitment to working with us on a plan for the long-term, which includes building more with Canadian wood products here at home and finding new pathways to bring more Canadian wood exports to other parts of the world,” said Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of FPAC.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Sunday afternoon the launch of Build Canada Homes, the federal government’s new agency that will oversee federal housing programs. The agency was part of the Liberals’ election promise to double housing construction. The government is touting Build Canada Homes as a centralized agency to oversee new affordable housing programs initiated at the federal level. Carney said the agency will “supercharge housing construction across Canada” by helping to build supportive and transitional housing in collaboration with provinces, territories and Indigenous communities. It will also expand “deeply affordable and community housing” and partner with private developers to build homes for the middle class. The prime minister also announced that former Toronto city councillor Ana Bailão will be the CEO of Build Canada Homes. …Carney said $13 billion is earmarked for the new agency.

Ottawa, Ontario — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is pleased to welcome BarrierTEK as a new national partner of its WoodWorks program. This collaboration aligns two organizations committed to supporting safe, innovative, and low-carbon construction practices across Canada through education, technical excellence, and strategic market development. As the construction sector responds to climate imperatives, shifting societal expectations, and progressive building codes, the role of wood in the built environment continues to expand. By combining traditional wood systems with value-added solutions like fire-retardant treatments, project teams can expand the application of wood in diverse building types without compromising performance or design flexibility. This partnership will help raise awareness of the full range of tools and technologies available to support safe, code-compliant wood construction while reinforcing wood’s reputation as a versatile, safe, high-performance building material.

Ottawa, ON — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) and the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of steel-timber hybrid structural solutions in Canada. Steel-timber hybrid construction is emerging as a sustainable and efficient approach to modern building design. By combining the strength and durability of steel with the renewable, low-carbon benefits of wood, hybrid systems—such as steel-timber composite floors—can deliver superior structural performance, improved cost efficiency, and faster construction timelines. These benefits are particularly valuable for larger and taller buildings where structural demands are greatest. To advance this opportunity, CWC and CISC have established a joint Technical Steering Committee to oversee the strategic use of funds contributed by both organizations to maximize industry impact. Its primary mandate is to support designers, engineers, and builders by developing technical guidance, best practices, and publications that will enable practical, code-compliant solutions for hybrid systems.

The Canada Wood Group Newsletter includes these headlines and more:

• Breakthrough Fire Approvals Achieved to Advance Midrise Wood Construction in Japan 
• Midrise Rising in Japan – A tour of the Mocxion project, a 5-storey midrise condo in Tokyo built with Canadian SPF, Douglas Fir, and OSB.
• Onwards and Upwards: Largest Ever Midrise 2×4 Project Completed in Kyushu  – A new 5-storey employee dormitory in Kitakyushu—Japan’s largest-ever 2×4 project—has been completed – making extensive use of Canadian SPF, plywood, and engineered wood.
• South Korea’s Public Housing Giant Looks to Wood – South Korea’s Land and Housing Corporation (LH) is rethinking how it builds the tens of thousands of homes it delivers each year. Its new study urges timber construction as a key strategy for meeting the nation’s 2050 carbon neutrality target.
• From Demonstration to Mainstream: How Canadian Douglas Fir is Powering China’s Heavy Timber Boom