Canada’s Province of British Columbia is taking steps to accelerate the adoption of mass timber buildings.
The Province is providing funding for 12 mass timber demonstration and research projects as part of its economic recovery program. It has also established a new advisory council to accelerate adoption of mass timber building systems.
The $4.2-million investment in mass timber projects and research will help urban planners and developers adopt mass timber by supporting the incremental or first-time costs of design development, research, permitting, and construction activities. The projects will help advance CleanBC goals by sourcing from sustainably managed forests that have a lower carbon footprint, according to a provincial government news release.
The demonstration projects will comprise a range of different building types and approaches to using mass timber to highlight the versatility and performance of this building material. These include a firehall with strict post-disaster requirements, an Indigenous health and culture center, and low-cost housing on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Dec 14, 2016
Cities must invest $375 billion to avoid catastrophic global climate change
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group advocates low carbon infrastructure.
Codes and Standards | Dec 14, 2016
Resilient construction techniques pay for themselves over lifetime of buildings
Spending $340,000 for resiliency would pay for itself over the lifetime of a $10 million structure.
Codes and Standards | Dec 12, 2016
Dept. of Energy launches program to advance zero energy school design
Six school districts and two states are among the first to mainstream zero energy schools.
Codes and Standards | Dec 9, 2016
California city’s plan for net zero building includes net zero water usage
Santa Monica city services building aims for highest level of sustainability.
Codes and Standards | Dec 8, 2016
WELL and BREEAM to align standards
The goal is to make it easier for projects pursuing both standards.
Codes and Standards | Dec 7, 2016
U.S. lumber industry pushes for import duties on Canadian softwood
The industry claims the product is being sold below fair market value.
Codes and Standards | Dec 5, 2016
International Construction Measurement Standards draft released
The goal is to improve consistency for calculating costs and reducing risk.
Codes and Standards | Dec 2, 2016
D.C. Council passes bill to reduce number of blighted properties
The new legislation reduces the amount of time a vacant property can qualify for a lower tax rate.
Codes and Standards | Dec 1, 2016
Passive House standard gaining influence in commercial sector
Some industry watchers predict it will become the base building code.
Codes and Standards | Nov 30, 2016
Researchers finding solutions to bird/building collisions
Glass facades pose a serious risk to birds and cause millions of avian deaths each year.
