We are pleased to open our Call for Entries and invite North American and International submissions to the 2022-23 Wood Design and Building Awards program recognizing excellence in wood architecture. Submit your project HERE! The Wood Design & Building Awards program recognizes design teams that are passionate about celebrating wood as a safe, strong and sophisticated building material. Entries should showcase the use of wood products in any, or several, of their many forms and applications. Entries should also demonstrate an understanding of the special properties of wood including strength, durability, beauty, and cost-effectiveness. A jury of prominent architects from Canada and the U.S. reviews the submissions based on various considerations such as creativity, appropriate use of wood materials in satisfying clients’ building and site requirements, and innovative design.
Early Bird Deadline: December 1st, 2022, Submission deadline: January 20th, 2023.
Despite the popularity of Home Depot, there are many untold truths about the retailer that can leave someone second-guessing whether to shop there. While the store sells various types of lumber, it begs the question: “Does Home Depot ethically source its lumber?” By not ethically sourcing lumber, the continued cutting down of trees can lead to deforestation, which impacts the ecosystem and wildlife. Ultimately, if we want to shop for sustainably sourced materials, it’s our responsibility as consumers to understand which businesses adhere to such practices. Reviewing policies and value statements is the easiest way to find out how a company conducts operations. Thankfully, Home Depot has managed to make this environmental practice one of its main priorities. …it has created a Responsible Sourcing Supplier Manual that lays out best practices for ethically sourcing lumber.
Attention has been focussed on the sourcing and processing of concrete and steel as the industries attempt to reduce their GHG emissions. As the world looks for alternatives, mass timber construction (MTC) has risen in prominence and popularity for ever-larger construction projects. The argument in favour of wood over steel or concrete is quite simple: Trees capture and embody carbon, whereas steel and concrete production only emits it. However, wood’s embodied carbon story is complicated and far from emissions-free. Informed decisions concerning the use of MTC necessitate more than a simplified carbon embodiment claim. …Peter Moonen, national sustainability manager for the Canadian Wood Council, said Canada has more than double the hectares of “certified forest” than any other country in the world. …Yet that only matters if procurement processes require confirmation that the wood originates from a managed or certified forest. 
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced two contributions through the
The world is coming together to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and all industries and sectors will need to contribute. …Our analysis shows that over the life cycle of a typical building, 76 percent of emissions come from operations and the remaining 24 percent from the processing of raw materials used for and construction of new builds. …There are several possible decarbonization pathways across materials, design, and technology that collectively could help mitigate a significant portion of overall emissions. …To make the transition to net-zero emissions, upstream aspects of low-carbon-intensive construction materials could also be maximized for tackling embodied emissions during the construction process. The cement industry is responsible for about a quarter of all industry CO2 emissions, and it also generates the most CO2 emissions per dollar of revenue. …Wood construction materials emit anywhere from 20 to 60 percent less carbon than steel and concrete in a typical building. 
ALBANY, New York — Inadequate enforcement of building codes has had tragic consequences in New York, with lives of occupants and first responders lost in deadly fires linked to unsafe conditions, according to advocates for local government inspectors. “Most municipalities look at code enforcement as the grass and garbage police,” said Steven McDaniel, chairman of the International Code Council’s building code committee and the chief code enforcer for the city of Corning. Testifying before a panel of state lawmakers, McDaniel suggested one way to ensure code enforcement operations can offer sufficient protection is to institute minimum staffing levels. …McDaniel also suggested that steps be taken to set minimum credentials for building inspectors. How well building codes are enforced can have major impacts on the quality of life in local communities. …The adequacy of building code enforcement has been a concern of lawmakers for several years.
This study examined methods for estimating carbon stocks in wood products used in existing wooden houses built by private building companies and estimated these values focusing on wooden houses built by Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. Moreover, we discussed the data and methods required for more accurate estimates. …Carbon stocks in wood products used in existing wooden houses at the start of FY2021 were estimated to be approximately 1.96 million t-C under the DIM, equal to more than half of carbon stocks in domestic forests owned by the target company, which suggests that wooden houses play a significant role in carbon storage. …It is important for private building companies to continuously acquire time-series data on the floor areas of both newly constructed and existing houses and wood products used in them to improve the accuracy of estimates in the future.