Market Initiatives

Innovative mass timber products and building technologies are taking wood beyond traditional building types and opening markets previously out of reach for wood solutions. Changes in the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) have enabled the construction of wood buildings up to 18 storeys, opening a potential new market of over 100 million square feet. This makes mass timber construction the largest growth opportunity for the use of softwood lumber in the U.S.
Several tall mass timber projects currently under construction or nearing completion are being supported and tracked by WoodWorks.
Among these are:

• INTRO, a unique nine-storey, 512,000 square
  foot residential building in Cleveland that will
  showcase an exposed CLT floor panel system
  designed by Fast + Epp of Vancouver;
• 80M in Washington D.C., a signature
  renovation project featuring three new
  floors of mass timber construction over an
  existing seven-storey building;
• Ascent in Milwaukee, a 25-storey apartment
  tower that includes 19 storeys of CLT and
  glulam over a six-storey concrete podium
  and, at 284 feet, will be the largest mass
  timber structure in the world; and
• Lennox, a seven-storey mass timber Passive
  House project in Boston.

Together, this brings the total number of tall mass timber projects in design or under construction that WoodWorks is supporting to 154, which is almost all of the tall U.S. mass timber projects underway.

As design teams have become more comfortable with mass timber and larger wood buildings, the average area of mass timber projects supported by WoodWorks has nearly doubled over the past five years, resulting in a higher average volume of wood products consumed per project.

Photo: Ascent, New Land Enterprises, Korb + Associates Architects

WoodWorks’ U.S. Mass Timber Construction Manual was developed to support general contractors and installers in increasing their knowledge and capacity to undertake mass timber building construction. The manual fills an important information gap and addresses a recurring issue in the market: while developers and architects have long been keen to pursue the potential of mass timber materials, a lack of experienced general contractors and installers has proven a market barrier.
The manual supports both aspects of WoodWorks’ Construction Management Program—management-level training for professionals who estimate, procure and manage new commercial and multi-family projects, and installer training provided through partnerships with carpenter unions and merit-based training centres. WoodWorks also partners with universities to provide hands-on mass timber experience and resources to the next generation of GC project managers. The U.S. Mass Timber Construction Manual is proving a seminal resource across all of these training elements.

With YouTube now the second-largest search engine after Google, DIY hosts on the platform have become important influencers offering an expansive social media presence to reach engaged customers.

The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) has worked with several of these influencers to expand knowledge and awareness of western red cedar applications; most recently with Texas-based designer and builder, April Wilkerson. In 2021/22, the association developed four DIY projects with the host, the most recent of which, How to Build a Modern Outdoor Sofa, received over 100,000 views in its first month alone.

Real Cedar’s online impact:

• YouTube: 213,753,329 views and 1.46 million subscribers
• Instagram: 271,000+ followers
• Pinterest: 2.7 million+ monthly views
• Facebook: 224,621 followers, 99,321 likes

Photo: Courtesy of April Wilkerson

BC Wood’s Export Readiness Training Program (ERTP) is a live, interactive webinar-based program focused on growing the exporting and international sales capabilities of B.C. wood product companies. Delivered in nine modules, the ERTP covers topics such as export readiness, researching markets, international finance, building an export plan and finding the right partners. With over 95 percent of B.C.’s value-added exports going south of the border, the program is a crucial component of BC Wood’s strategy to help B.C. value-added manufacturers enter the U.S. market.
An important feature of the ERTP webinars/workshops delivered during the past year were industry guest speakers who provided real-life, sector-specific examples and insights on the topics covered. A number of specialist consultants were also engaged to assist in the delivery of the training modules. Incorporating industry expertise into the program continues to ensure that the webinar and workshop content provides maximum value to participants.

The COVID-19 pandemic has kept many potential new home buyers from visiting display homes. As an alternative, purchasers in Japan are going online to research home buying options.
The Council of Forest Industries’ (COFI’s) 2×4 campaign, now in its sixth year, capitalized on this trend by using digital communications to encourage prospective home buyers to learn about the benefits of living in a 2×4 home and to consider homes built with B.C. lumber. The online campaign, which was promoted and amplified by 2×4 housing companies, designers and builders across Japan, ran from May to August 2021 and reached a total audience of 29,000 people. Over 6,000 buyers responded over the three months of the campaign.
Increasing the number of prospective home buyers that understand the benefits of 2×4 housing is essential to growing the market for wood-frame construction in Japan.

Photo: Social media promotional materials & 2×4 campaign website | Credit: Canada Wood Japan

Work done by Canada Wood Japan to expand wood use in the medical, elderly care and social welfare segment continues to show progress with both the number of wood buildings and height of these structures increasing.
The latest example is Family Hospice Kyoto Kitayama House, a 37 unit, four-storey 2×4 fire-resistant building with a total floor area of 1,767 m² and a height of 14.8 m. Approximately 320 m³ of structural wood products was utilized, including S-P-F dimension lumber, Canadian OSB along with domestic and engineered wood products.

Since Canada Wood first connected with Kairos & Company—the owner of the hospice—eight years ago, the company has opened more than a dozen hospices across Japan, all constructed with wood. Kyoto Kitayama House is the second four-storey wood-frame construction hospice the company has built in just the past year. With a number of additional wood-frame hospices in the planning stage, the company and the market segment are on the rise.

Photo: Hospice Kyoto Kitayama House | Credit: Mitsubishi Estate Housing Components Co., Ltd.

Reflecting Canada’s role as a world leader in forestry and innovative wood building technology, the Council of Forest Industries and Canada Wood held the Big & Tall Wood Challenge Design Awards. This year’s competition, the fourth time the wood design challenge has been conducted, recognized the contributions being made by Japanese companies designing larger and taller wood buildings in Japan.
An expert panel of three judges, leading academics in the field of Japanese architecture and design, selected eight winning wooden building projects from a pool of applications—four large structures and four tall buildings all utilizing 2×4, post-and-beam or cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction.
The design awards competition not only expands the awareness of larger and taller wood structures in Japan, it also highlights Canada’s global leadership in accelerating the adoption of wood use in construction and the country’s commitment to using forests and the wood products cycle to help mitigate climate change and reduce carbon in construction.

Photo: COFI/Canada Wood Big & Tall Design Award winners, judges, and representatives of the Canadian Embassy and Canada Wood at the Award Ceremony on March 10, 2022 | Credit: Canada Wood Japan

As the fastest-growing market in the world for wood pellets, Japan is a key focus for B.C. wood pellet producers and the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC).
In 2021, the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, with funding from FII, created five videos showing how pellets produced in B.C. from sustainably managed forests are enhancing forest health, contributing to local communities, displacing fossil fuels and helping international customers meet their climate change goals.
By taking viewers from the forests to the production facilities, the ports and the people in communities, the video series demonstrates the sector’s commitment to provide responsible, renewable and clean energy in B.C.’s key markets.
The videos will be posted on WPAC’s website, pellet.org, and will be shared with Japanese customers (with potential to repurpose for other markets). Video topics include, Verifying sustainability, Transforming waste to clean energy, Responsible fibre use, How pellets are made and more.

Photo: Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC)

Increasing the share of wood in Korea’s residential construction sector requires successfully completing product testing and acquiring the necessary government certificates and code approvals in areas such as fire resistance and sound insulation of wood assemblies.
Without these approvals, wood would be restricted in many construction applications.
In 2021/22, Canada Wood Korea worked to ensure that revisions to building codes do not create barriers to the use of Canadian wood products, that codes are updated to reflect the full potential for the use of wood and wood building technologies and that new Canadian wood products and building assemblies gain certification for use under the building code. Key initiatives during the year focused on testing and certification related to seismic design and prefabricated housing.

Seismic
Although the Korean Peninsula is not known as an area of high seismic activity, several recent tremors and steps by regulators have highlighted the need to ensure that seismic considerations are incorporated into building codes. In early 2021, Canada Wood approached Korean code officials to propose that the SSBC-TS (Small Scaled Building Code-Timber Structure) be expanded to include more wood shear wall design options. Collaborating with code officials, Canada Wood conducted exploratory testing to determine the performance of several innovative wood wall bracing options that provide improved strength and versatility over existing methods and expand designers’ choices. The results of these tests are providing the basis for code revisions expected to be completed later this year.

Prefabrication
Prefab wood housing accounts for some 10-15 percent of wood construction in Korea; however, cost and transportation restrictions remain obstacles to further development of the prefab sector. In 2021/22, three types of prefabricated composite beams were tested at the Korea National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS) in an initiative jointly funded by Canada Wood and Green Cube, a Korean prefab wood housing company. The objective is to develop prefab floor and wall systems suitable for Korea’s detached housing market. Emphasis is being placed on versatile configurations that can simplify both transportation and installation. The results will inform building code requirements for the use of these systems in Korea.

Photo: Performance testing of shear wall at the National Institute of Forest Science  | Credit: Canada Wood Korea

Space Factory, a prominent Korean prefab home builder, has a goal of providing high-quality, energyefficient housing at an affordable
price. To meet its objective, Space Factory is building a new 500,000 square foot factory to boost its productivity and manufacturing capacity. The new state-of-the-art facility will be equipped with the latest automation machinery and technology enabling it to produce almost 1,300 houses per year, potentially reducing the cost of building a home by up to 30 percent.
To support this initiative and position Canadian wood species, Canada Wood Korea is conducting training programs and technical seminars to educate Space Factory staff on Canadian wood and prefab materials and technical considerations.
The company plans to invest $40 million in the new factory, making it one of the largest investments ever in Korea’s wood construction industry.

Photo: Automated prefab wooden panel production line | Credit: Space Factory

The Jinju Community Centre, Canada Wood’s first nail-laminated timber (NLT) demonstration project in South Korea, has won the grand prize at the 2021 Korea Wood Design Awards. The award, hosted by the Korea Wood Construction Association and sponsored by the Korea Forest Service, recognizes the project for integrating an exposed NLT system into the structure to lend it a pleasing and warming interior ambiance, in the process maximizing floor space and minimizing the project’s environmental footprint.
The application of NLT in the Jinju Community Centre was a direct outcome of an agreement between Jinju Municipality and Canada Wood Korea to introduce mass timber into public building projects. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) provided funding for the project, while Canada Wood provided technical support for the design, manufacturing and installation of the NLT panels.

Canada Wood promotes NLT in Korea as a viable substitute for concrete slabs, steel decking and CLT panels due to its easy fabrication, cost competitiveness and high consumption of Canadian dimensional lumber.
With the Jinju Community Centre having demonstrated the cost effectiveness of the NLT system, the potential for NLT in the broader nonresidential sector in Korea is significant—the Jinju government already has plans to build ten similar community facilities in the next few years.

Photo: The Jinju Community Centre, the first NLT Demonstration project during construction in Korea | Canada Wood Korea

Product trials remain one of the most valuable elements of FII’s market strategy for India. Central to the commercialization program, trials showcase the features and benefits of Canadian wood species directly to India’s wood manufacturers.
Despite disruptions caused by COVID-19, a total of 36 trials were completed in 2021/22 under the Try Canadian Wood program. These trials confirmed the suitability of B.C. species in a number of target applications, including: western hemlock and Douglas-fir for furniture production; western red cedar for outdoor applications; yellow cedar for windows, doors and door frames; and western hemlock for manufacturing finger-jointed-edgeglued (FJEG) panels. Product trials are particularly valuable as they allow makers of products such as furniture, interior millwork, doors and windows to physically touch, handle and test Canadian wood products in their own facilities.
While many of India’s furniture manufacturers produce products for the local market, trials during the year also focused on India’s export hubs—Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi National Capital Region. Manufacturers in these regions are developing furniture and décor items for large international brands such as West Elm, Crate and Barrel, Freedom, Target and Arhaus. With global customers increasingly demanding sustainably sourced products, B.C.’s certified forest products are ideally suited for these applications.

Photo: S-P-F coffee table | Credit: FII India

FII India is collaborating with MAK Projects—a leading infrastructure and housing development company—on a high-profile demonstration project for a wood-frame display home with mass timber elements within a large residential community development.
The community, called BTR Greens, will consist of 300 premium villas spread across 250 acres in Hyderabad, offering all the conveniences and luxuries of city life in a peaceful, natural setting.
Within BTR Greens, the pilot project, called Canadianwood Villa, uses B.C. species and products, including S-P-F, western red cedar, yellow cedar, western hemlock and B.C.-produced engineered wood products such as gluelaminated timber, nail-laminated timber, dimension lumber and OSB in a variety of applications. As this is MAK Projects’ initial foray into wood construction, the FII India team is providing technical support and on-site construction assistance throughout the building process.
FII India and MAK Projects are already receiving positive feedback on the project from Indian developers and government officials who have shown interest in potentially replicating the project in other regions. To build on this and further raise awareness of the project, the FII India team has planned an inauguration and networking event for the launch of the villa, which is scheduled for completion in mid-2022. National and local media, along with architects, developers and government officials will be present at the event where the villa will act as a showcase for the many advantages of building with B.C. wood in India including durability of the material and construction flexibility and efficiency. The villa also highlights the green and carbon benefits of wood construction using sustainably sourced B.C. products.

“Wood is a sustainable, renewable and natural building material. Even today, wood is amongst the few natural elements that can simultaneously achieve reduced carbon emissions, bring about increased sustainability in a building’s life cycle and offer improved occupant well-being…This landmark collaboration between Canadian Wood and MAK Projects is aimed at promoting sustainable wood
housing in India as it offers multiple benefits over concrete and steel-based infrastructure.”

– Dr. Mir Nasir Ali Khan, Promoter & Managing Director, MAK Projects Pvt. Ltd

Photo: Canadian Wood MAK Villa, Hyderabad | Credit: FII India

Globally, there is a growing recognition of wood’s biophilic benefits—the increased connection to nature through the incorporation of natural materials, such as wood, in building projects. To tap into this trend, FII India is working with stockists, builders, architects and designers to demonstrate the biophilic benefits of Canadian wood species within building projects across India.
In 2021/22, FII India worked with a local stockist (importer/distributor), Tambi Timbers, to incorporate the use of Douglas-fir in the design of an Oncology Centre in Jaipur. The goal for the design of this healthcare space was to create a relaxing and natural environment through the use of wood products.
Douglas-fir was featured in a variety of applications in the Centre, including ceiling and wall panelling, doors and doorframes, shelving and furniture. The extensive use of Douglas-fir within the Centre created the desired calming atmosphere, while serving as a showcase for the biophilic benefits of Canadian wood species.

The FII India team continues to highlight the biophilic benefits of B.C. wood products within a variety of promotional efforts including social media posts, online and print ads as well as though webinars, seminars and one-on-one engagements with architects, designers and developers. Having projects such as this to use as a showcase provides the team with real-life examples and captivating visuals to highlight the warm, comforting designs that can be achieved using B.C. wood.

Photo: Candrol Centre of Oncology, Jaipur | Credit: FII India

Experience in other Asian markets has shown that product trials are a highly effective means to demonstrate the unique attributes and benefits of Canadian wood to local manufacturers. To educate and build awareness of B.C. softwoods across Vietnam’s Wood in Manufacturing (WIM) sector, FII’s Try Canadian Wood program is using product trials to showcase B.C. species and their
range of applications.
Leveraging the experience and successes of market development programs in both China and India, the Try Canadian Wood program in Vietnam has placed early emphasis on the furniture segment; however, product trials in 2021/22 also included an array of other product applications in addition to furniture, such as doors, saunas, interior finishings, cable reels and other industrial applications.
Numerous product trials generated very positive feedback which, in turn, has resulted in manufacturers placing orders. Some coastal B.C. species have shown to be a suitable replacement for traditional hardwoods and Vietnamese companies are interested in looking at longer-term supply.

Photo: Douglas-fir dining room table | Credit: FII Vietnam

To pursue further opportunities for the B.C. forest sector in Vietnam’s fast-growing furniture market, FII Vietnam has opened a new office in Binh Duong (45 minutes from Ho Chi Minh City), the centre of the country’s wood manufacturing sector. The office is outfitted with furniture and panelling made in Vietnam, primarily from western hemlock and S-P-F, both of which have proven to garner commercial appeal in the market.

The new office showcases the beauty, quality and practicality of products manufactured locally from B.C. species. This is allowing FII
Vietnam to build additional inroads with manufacturers and suppliers in a key manufacturing hub, and to position B.C. wood species as a
preferable alternative to the wood products currently used. Since completion of the office, FII Vietnam has already hosted meetings with
several influential manufacturers in the new space, who voiced positive feedback of the interior fit outs and have expressed interest in future Canadian wood trials. Professional images of the office are being used in marketing materials to showcase the B.C. wood products and the range of applications.

Photo: FII Vietnam office reception area with western hemlock vertical/horizontal decorative supports | Credit: FII Vietnam

In a unique collaboration, FII Vietnam worked with the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association (HAWA) to jointly deliver a webinar introducing manufacturers, distributors, designers and contractors to Canadian wood. The topic of the webinar event, delivered in December 2021, was, Canadian wood: sustainable materials for diversified indoor and outdoor applications.
FII Vietnam’s business development team invited a number of customers to participate in the event as guest speakers so that they could share their experiences either distributing Canadian wood or using it in their manufacturing process. 113 manufacturers attended the seminar which provided an opportunity for the team to connect with potential customers. As a result, more than 80 new leads and contacts were established.
Building on the success of the webinar, FII Vietnam hosted a seminar in late March at the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City—the preeminent architectural school in Vietnam. The focus of the seminar was on B.C.’s sustainable, certified forest products and examined a case study on using western hemlock for furniture applications. Over 120 students participated in this interactive presentation, marking an important step forward in increasing awareness of B.C. wood products among the future decision makers. Results from the seminar were very positive, with the University of Architecture school board indicating interest in future seminars and factory tours hosted by FII Vietnam.

Photo: Seminar at Ho Chi Minh School of Architecture

The seventh annual Sino-Canadian Wood Forum took place on January 18, 2022. Focused on the role of wood industries in revitalizing China, event topics included rural development, innovation in cultural and tourism industries, carbon neutrality, the green development of construction industries and the promotion of wood building applications for rural revitalization. Rural areas account for close to 40 percent of China’s total population which represents 15 times the population of Canada.

While COVID restrictions limited in-person participation at this year’s event, the Forum was broadcasted online through multiple media platforms providing FII and Canada Wood the opportunity to deliver wood messaging to an audience of more than 2.5 million industry professionals, academics and government officials, vastly expanding the impact and influence of the event.

Photo: Jean-Christian Brillant, Minister (Commercial) at Canadian Embassy in China speaking at the seventh annual Sino-Canadian Wood Forum | Credit: Canada Wood China

Two wood projects were among 16 winners of China’s National Green Building Innovation Prize which recognizes outstanding projects that contribute to China’s green building development. The two wood winners are the main pavilion of the 10th Jiangsu Horticultural Exposition in Yangzhou city, Jiangsu province; and the Haikou Citizen & Visitor Centre located in Haikou city, Hainan province.

Green building development is a significant priority for the Chinese government and the National Green Building Innovation Prize was created to incentivize innovation in the areas of energy efficiency, environmental protection, waste reduction and sustainable practices in the construction industry—areas where sustainable wood products and building designs offer a significant advantage.

Photo: Haikou Citizen & Visitor Centre, Haikou city, Hainan province. Designed as a multi-function center with an urban planning exhibition hall, municipal affairs service centre and visitor centre the project has a total construction area of 29,800 m2 | Credit: Crown Homes

To further promote the benefits of wood construction in low-carbon development, FII undertook a substantial outreach program within
three priority provinces across 2021 with support from Canada Wood China and the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai. The culmination of these efforts was the delivery of three regional summits held in the provinces of Zhejiang (September 27-29), Jiangsu (October 13-15) and Hubei (November 16-18).
The summits provided a platform for high-level exchanges on themes relevant to government planning, policy innovation, technical research and low-carbon development case studies. The exchanges, in turn, fostered discussions among senior provincial government representatives on prospects for bilateral cooperation in areas such as carbon neutrality, advanced construction and green development, all of which factor directly in the future development of the market for environmentally sustainable wood construction in China.
While national regulations and plans for issues such as carbon neutrality and green building are set by ministries and central government authorities in Beijing, the responsibility for determining how these directions will be implemented rests at the provincial level, making these three summits key to advancing B.C.’s messaging on wood products and the environment.

108 media reports were generated from three events

Photo: Professor Cheng Xiaowu of Nanjing Tech University introducing the wooden pavilion building design of Jiangsu Horticultural Expo | Credit: Canada Wood China