Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

Heatherwick Studio is behind a tree-inspired mixed-use redevelopment with two towers in downtown Vancouver’s West End, with the aim of breaking Vancouver’s longstanding conventional form of glass towers. The renowned architectural firm, based in London, UK, is responsible for notable designs such as the London 2012 Olympic Cauldron, the new Routemaster double-decker bus for Transport For London, and the Vessel in New York City. …The proposal calls for a 385-ft-tall, 34-storey west tower and a 345-ft-tall, 30-storey east tower with 401 condominium homes. …The podium levels are focused around a four-storey atrium — a sculpturally formed internal public plaza — within a curving structure that splits open the podium base, creating an active and lively new amenity for the city that is activated by the commercial spaces. …A skylight on the podium rooftop draws in natural light into space, and the proponents have indicated structural timber could be used for the podium.

Welcome to a special episode of the Construction Record podcast brought to you by naturally:wood, British Columbia’s information centre about sustainable forestry, tree species, green building and design. In today’s episode I’m speaking with Ray Wolfe, an architect and partner at ThinkSpace Architecture Planning and Interior Design and a contributing author of “design Options for Three and Four-Storey Wood School Buildings in British Columbia,” a report prepared by thinkspace and fast + epp for the Canadian Wood Council and Wood Works! BC. The report looks into the need for taller wood-based institutional buildings like schools particularly in cities like Vancouver where real estate is at a premium. Wolfe also goes into the other benefits of wood construction both for schools and other buildings and the progress made as wood becomes a more prevalent choice for construction of many different types of structures.

The design and construction of midrise engineered wood buildings can be “compromised” without a careful selection of materials, connections and assemblies. “Whether it is the right product for nailing or shrinkage or excessive deflection…you don’t want performance surprises,” Andy Teasell, a senior engineer at Weyerhaeuser’s Trus Joist product line, told an audience recently at a webinar hosted by the Canadian Wood Council. Teasell said there are many complex facets to midrise engineered wood buildings that are not common in regulatory controls such as Part 9 of B.C.’s Building Code. “As successful as they (mass timber buildings) are, the stakes are high and they require more expertise” than conventional construction, he said. …He said his company provides a checklist for builders on the training and experience a midrise supplier requires.

The idea was born over trays of sushi. Felix Böck, then a PhD student at Canada’s University of British Columbia, was venting his frustration over the scant interest in his proposal to use waste wood from demolition and construction sites. How, he wondered, could he convince people that there’s no such thing as waste, but rather just wasted resources? Chopsticks in hand, Thalia Otamendi, the woman who is now his fiancée, looked at him. “She said: ‘Felix, maybe you just have to start with something small,’” said Böck. “And maybe it’s the chopstick.” He started working on the idea the next day, sketching out plans for ChopValue, a startup aimed at creating a second life for used chopsticks. …The startup has expanded its footprint across North America, with its process – which uses heat, steam and pressure to transform the chopsticks into wooden tiles – now also being used in Calgary, Montreal and Los Angeles.

The City of Fernie will be requiring that all new residential construction projects comply with the BC Energy Step Code, effective January 1, 2021. According to the BC Energy Step Code Council, “the BC Energy Step Code is an energy-efficiency performance design standard designed to help the province meet its goal that all new BC buildings must be net-zero energy ready by 2032.” …In practice, this means that all building permit applications for wood frame residential houses (Part 9 Buildings) and wood- frame low/mid-rise residential buildings (Part 3 Buildings) received by the city on or after January 1, 2021 must demonstrate achievement of the proscribed steps in order to be issued. Key requirements are for energy modelling and airtightness testing. A Step 2 Part 9 building is expected to be 10% more efficient than a standard building code compliant structure.

A rising number of municipalities, in all corners of British Columbia, are turning to innovative mass timber construction and design. Light and strong, it’s being used in everything from grocery stores and schools to bridges and residential towers—along with a growing number of healthcare facilities, community centres and civic buildings. Watch our video and learn how mass timber is transforming the manufacturing and construction industries all over the world and here in BC while enabling a new generation of high-performance buildings to emerge.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be an exhibitor at the 17th Annual Global Buyers Mission (GBM) – an invitation only trade event developed to bring together pre-qualified international buyers of wood products from around the world, with Canadian manufacturers of products that include finished materials, building supplies, remanufacturing products and service suppliers. You will not want to miss this opportunity to showcase your products to hundreds of pre-qualified international buyers plus North American specifiers! International Trade Commissioners from around world are taking advantage of the cost savings of a virtual event to meet Canadian suppliers. The virtual format provides exhibitors with an interactive booth with space where you can showcase videos, brochures, and other product displays all with links to your website and social media, as well as “Live video meetings” direct from your booth!