For decades, hospital design has prioritized efficiency and low capital cost. This approach … overlooks the built environment’s critical role in healing. The building industry is the world’s largest source of carbon emissions, and hospitals are among its highest emitters. …Mass timber offers a viable solution for cost-effectively aligning environmental and patient priorities… Despite these advantages, mass timber has yet to be widely adopted by health care, with Canadian building codes still precluding its use in most hospital settings. …To address this, KPMB Architects and British Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA)—along with an integrated team of consultants—recently designed a speculative mass timber study for an in-patient unit using Canadian programming and planning norms, codes, and standards. The undertaking was a practical and cost-effective response to the existing barriers. …Most effectively employed in hospitals when integrated with other building systems, mass timber should be applied to areas where … its biophilic benefits offer the greatest return.
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As Denmark has recently tightened its standards for new construction with the aim of reducing embodied carbon, what lessons can Canada draw from this experience? In 2023, the Danish Building Code made life-cycle assessment (LCA) mandatory for all new buildings over their first fifty years. …The government also mandated researchers to provide practitioners with a list of generic material data for cases where an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)—required to perform an LCA. When the regulation came into force in 2023, the entire construction industry was opposed to it, recalls Thomas Graabaek. “ And then slowly there was a movement within architects and engineers that actually we need to have even stricter demands.” …“Unfortunately, in Canada, [architects] have been educated only around operations, [not on its entire life cycle],” explains Kelly Alvarez Doran. He advocates for the establishment of embodied-carbon targets at different regulatory scales. 
Canada Wood’s January market news highlights the continued expansion of Canadian wood products into key international markets, with a strong focus on mass timber, technical innovation, and long-term partnerships. Articles explore new opportunities for Canadian species in China’s growing glulam sector, including efforts to diversify beyond Douglas fir into Hem-Fir, SPF, and yellow cedar. Other features examine rising interest in mass timber construction in South Korea, driven by carbon-reduction goals and modern architectural demand. The January updates also showcase how long-standing Canadian demonstration projects in southern China are building confidence in wood’s durability in challenging climates, helping pave the way for larger, more complex structures. Rounding out the month is news of renewed Canada–China cooperation on wood construction, reinforcing shared commitments to low-carbon building and sustainable urban development. Together, these stories offer a timely snapshot of how Canadian wood expertise is shaping construction practices abroad.
The federal government 
Imagine if we embraced wood as the primary solution for everything we are capable of building tall. As Canada and industry mobilize to scale our national housing stock under Build Canada Homes, I believe that the way we build in Canada is on the precipice of a pivotal moment. Optimizing mass timber for multifamily residential construction — a key pillar of the federal housing plan — presents a tremendous opportunity to bolster our forestry and manufacturing economies while gaining on national targets for emission reductions. On top of delivering urgently needed housing, prioritizing Canadian mass timber is also regenerative for our communities, our economies and our planet. …Having received Royal Assent in 2009, British Columbia’s Wood First Act was enacted to promote the use of wood in provincially funded buildings — a prime example of legislation that strengthened the provincial forestry industry and heavily influenced mass timber adoption across the province. 
In the construction industry, ideas or materials first seen on the margins of construction processes later become an established part of those processes. …And so it seems to be with Mass Timber Construction (MTC). MTC entered the construction industry as an intriguing approach to reduce embodied carbon. …Today, MTC has become a mainstream building method. Across North America, there are reportedly 2,500 MTC buildings already built or in the planning stages. Similar levels of acceptance are seen in Europe. The world’s leading architects and designers have embraced MTC by incorporating wood components into a wide range of building types and sizes, from commercial offices to housing, campuses, infrastructure and even data centres. Interest and acceptance have moved beyond the pure environmental benefits of using MTC. Economics, simple dollars and cents, are now recognized as a persuasive factor as well. This is because mass timber changes the mechanics of construction.
VANCOUVER — UBC’s newest building, Gateway Health, is opening as a hub for student health, interdisciplinary teaching and collaborative research. The 270,550-square-foot building gives a purpose-built home to the school of nursing, consolidates kinesiology programs from eight campus locations, and centralizes student health and wellbeing services for the first time. …
Zoom Webinar | Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 10:00am – 11:30am PST | Zoom. BC’s wood manufacturers are facing real challenges from labour shortages and export pressures to rising costs and growing sustainability expectations. The good news? There’s funding available to support your hiring, workforce development, technology upgrades, product innovation, and market expansion. Join this session designed specifically for processors, builders, and related businesses in the value-added wood sector. You’ll learn how to use grants strategically, not reactively, to achieve your business goals. What you will learn:
Modern Methods of Construction Education (MMC Edu) is a national platform that connects education and industry to advance construction training in Canada. It is a key outcome of the Mass Timber Training Network: Advancing Trades for a Sustainable Future (MTAT) project, which brings together a national network to advance wood as a low-carbon building material by addressing major barriers to mass timber adoption across the country. Led by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) through the Green Construction Through Wood Program (GC Wood), the MTAT project focuses on education and training as a key vehicle for reducing barriers and preparing the next generation of the workforce. MMC Edu serves as a shared platform where network members, industry partners, and educators can exchange knowledge and access resources that support innovation, sustainability, and workforce readiness across Canada.
International Pulp Week (IPW) is the premier annual gathering for the global market pulp sector, organized by the Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC). Set for May 10–12, 2026 at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, BC, the three-day conference brings together producers, customers, logistics providers, analysts and other key stakeholders from around the world to share market intelligence, expert insights and strategic dialogue on trends shaping the future of pulp markets. Through keynote presentations, expert panels and extensive networking opportunities, IPW offers decision-makers high-value analysis, opportunities for business development, and collaboration across the pulp supply chain. The event has become a must-attend forum for those involved in international pulp production, trade and investment, with participants from more than 40 countries expected to attend.
35 Countries. 300+ Voices. One Room. Be a part of the conversation. Join us in Vancouver May 10-12, 2026. Each year, International Pulp Week brings together leading voices from across the global pulp value chain to examine emerging trends, innovations, and the market forces shaping the industry. The 2026 program will feature dynamic discussions on strategy, markets, technology, sustainability, supply chains, and the broader role of pulp-based materials. Registration for the 21st edition of IPW is now open, and you can benefit from the Early Bird rate until February 16. More details are available on the registration page.
The Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity supports the growth and expansion of U.S. wood products and wood energy markets, advancing sustainable forest management and the long-term stewardship of National Forest System (NFS) lands and other forested areas. …The Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity provides a strategic platform for public, private, and non-profit entities to expand wood markets, promote sustainable forest management, and advance wood energy and mass timber technologies across the United States. By funding projects that create tangible economic and environmental impact, the program strengthens domestic wood product industries while supporting the responsible management of forest resources. Deadline is April 22, 2026
Walk through any design-forward neighbourhood… and you’ll notice something the catalogues haven’t caught up with yet. The windows are changing. After decades dominated by vinyl, aluminium, and composite frames, timber is making a decisive return to high-end residential architecture. And the architects driving this shift aren’t motivated by nostalgia. They’re choosing wood because, for the homes they’re designing, nothing else performs quite the same way. The broader design world has been moving in this direction for several years. Mass timber construction, reclaimed wood interiors, rammed earth walls, natural stone — the 2025–2026 architectural conversation is dominated by what designers call “material honesty.” The idea is straightforward: use materials that are what they appear to be. No laminate pretending to be oak. …The knock against timber windows has always been practical: they need maintenance, they warp, they cost more. Two decades ago, much of that was fair. Modern engineered timber has changed the equation. 
MESA COUNTY, Colorado. – Mesa County commissioners have passed a wildfire resiliency code that will affect the construction of new houses and projects on current structures, including re-roofing. The code, required by state legislation, applies only to buildings in the Wildland Urban Interface — a designated area marking locations close to potential wildfires. It mandates that projects in those areas use more fire-resistant materials and regulates where new structures can be built. “It’s not going to keep houses from burning down…,” Davis said. “What it’s designed to do is to keep it from burning as quick and as violently so that people can get out and get to safety.” Davis said the new code could make building in affected areas slower and more expensive. “To make things fire resistant, it costs money. The cheapest siding out there is wood-based and more affordable, but it’s also going to be more flammable,” Davis said.
Building homes inside a factory has long been seen as a way to revolutionize the American housing industry, ushering in a new era of higher quality homes at lower price. That dream has never quite panned out. Can California finally make it happen? …For decades engineers, architects, futurists, industrialists, investors and politicians have been pining for a better, faster and cheaper way to build homes. Now, amid a national housing shortage, the question felt as pressing as ever: What if construction could harness the speed, efficiency, quality control and cost-savings of the assembly line? …What if the United States could mass-produce its way out of a housing crisis? …This year, state legislators in California believe the turning-point might actually be here. With a little state assistance, they want to make 2026 the Year of the Housing Factory. At long last. 
The Berkeley Wood Lab’s research on mass timber production has the potential to improve California’s sustainability by sourcing from local forests. The lab is collaborating with Northern Californian lumber company Mad River Mass Timber, or MRMT. The company will use Californian trees that otherwise would have either been turned into woodchips or burned in a forest fire to build panels that can be used in new housing and commercial buildings. This is the first time these types of panels will be produced locally in California instead of being shipped in from other countries. The technology to create dowel-laminated timber, or DLT, has existed for decades, but the Berkeley Wood Lab adapted it for use in Californian forests. Through the process of making DLT, glue is not required, which enables the timber to be recycled in the future and turned into new material.
California’s wildfire insurance crisis intensified this week as major insurers faced renewed scrutiny over denied or delayed payouts, while regulators and lawmakers moved to address mounting consumer complaints. The
The mass timber supply chain has spent more than a decade proving the product works. …Now, research produced by Michigan State University argues that none of it matters much if the system surrounding the product isn’t built to match. Led by George Berghorn, Modular Mass Timber for Housing Construction, research published in the 
Since International Paper closed its mills in Liberty and Chatham counties last fall, business owners in Southeast Georgia who once made the state the largest timber exporter in the nation have been feeling acute pain. As of January, demand for timber had dropped more than 60%. …The cost of pulpwood, meanwhile, had plummeted. …Gov. Brian Kemp has carved $14 million for the timber industry in his draft budget, based on recommendations from a 
Massachusetts is considering changing state building codes to allow single staircases in multi-family residential buildings up to six stories. Advocates say the change would result in smaller buildings, space savings that could lead to 130,000 new housing units. Before changing the building codes, which currently require two exit stairways, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed an executive order establishing a technical advisory panel to study potential safety issues. “We’re all about making it easier to build more housing across our state to drive down costs for everyone,” Healey said in a statement. “While the double-stair requirement plays an important role in ensuring safety, it’s also holding us back from the type of housing construction we need to meet demand.” …New York City and Seattle, Washington have “permitted single-stair buildings up to six stories for decades,” the administration says…, as have the states of Tennessee, Montana, and Connecticut.
LANSING, Michigan – A state program to aid mass timber projects in Michigan has been extended for the Upper Peninsula after the region submitted no applications for funding in 2026. …A supplemental call for proposals makes available $50,000 through March 2. Those awards will be announced March 16. The awardees are:
ST. LOUIS — What is the life cycle of a building? Each year, in the United States, new home construction accounts for 50 million tons of carbon emissions. The majority stem from harvesting, manufacturing and transporting building materials — from lumber and masonry to glass and tile to roofing and mechanical systems. But what happens at the end of the cycle? When a building is no longer inhabitable or needed, what happens to all the energy invested in those materials? “It’s demolished,” Hongxi Yin said. “It goes to the landfill.” Yin, an expert on sustainable construction, is the InCEES professor in advanced building systems and architectural design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Over the last decade, he has led a series of research studios exploring ways to improve building efficiency, supply chains and construction processes. 
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BHUBANESWAR: India should explore inclusion of wood-based construction and buildings into the national building code to achieve optimal outcomes for climate change and the economy, opined experts at the 14th National Workshop of Japan International Cooperation Agency Assisted Forestry Projects. The three-day workshop is organised by the Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project focuses on strengthening sustainable wood supply systems, promoting forest certification and expanding agroforestry to meet both domestic and global demands. Odisha Forestry Sector Development Society officials said while the National Building Code of India advocates bamboo for use in construction … international experts at the workshop opined that production and use of wood-based and other natural construction materials can also be explored to reduce dependence on carbon-intensive materials further and encourage sustainable forestry.
At COP 30 in Belém, Brazil, the 2025 United Nations climate conference was widely seen as an “implementation COP”. …Here, USGBC shares concrete initiatives from COP 30 for a people-centered transition of the buildings sector and what will shape the agenda in 2026. …Public procurement and low-carbon construction – The ICBC adopted a Global Framework for Action on Sustainable Procurement, recognizing that public spending, around 13–20% of GDP, can serve as a strategic lever to create demand for low-carbon construction materials and practices. By leveraging the purchasing power of national and local governments, policymakers can send the long-term market signals needed to shift the construction sector toward net zero, given that construction and infrastructure together account for the largest share of public authority budgets. Ministers and over 300 stakeholders also endorsed the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction, promoting bio-based, circular building practices and ensuring the sustainable management of wood resources as demand grows.
There are two types of suncream: chemical and physical. Chemical suncreams absorb the UV rays into heat … physical sunblocks scatter and reflect the UV rays on top of the skin. While they offer a broader spectrum of protection, their photo-catalytic nature and small particle size carry a potential risk. The synthetic compounds have adverse side effects on humans and the environment. …Wood is a material that is very effective at scattering light as a result of its cellular structure, absorbing light through one of its components, lignin. The compound is an organic polymer in the cells of many plants which makes them rigid and woody. It also offers sun protection factors (SPFs) that exceed 180. Lignin has a natural phenolic network that forms a shield against ultraviolet light, offering protection against the sun without the need for petroleum-based filters.The use of lignin as sun protection for skin is promising, particularly as a renewable and waste-free resource. 
