Wood First

As societies develop strategies to reduce carbon emissions, the means of tracking carbon output are becoming more sophisticated. Increasingly, life cycle assessment (LCA) is the predominant standard, as it records the total carbon impact of a building. Wood use in buildings is becoming a popular way to manage for embodied carbon in the built environment, particularly for larger and taller buildings.

FII continued to support efforts to mainstream life cycle assessment and build knowledge in tools and approaches to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. UBC Sustainability Hub was commissioned to document the latest global, Canadian and regional developments in embodied carbon emissions policies and initiatives.

There are numerous approaches that attempt to track and quantify the biogenic carbon flows over the life cycle of long-lived harvested wood products (HWP), but within the LCA community, there is currently no consistent and internationally accepted biogenic carbon accounting approach that includes all carbon stored in, sequestered by, and emitted through organic matter. FII supported an overview of the current state of knowledge on biogenic carbon accounting in the context of LCA studies of HWP and biobased construction systems now being referenced by forest and building sector stakeholders in North America.

Finally, data from recently FII-funded environmental products declarations (EPDs) for B.C. wood products—glulam, cross-laminated timber, plywood and lumber—was harmonised into the next version of the popular software tool, the Athena Impact Estimator for Buildings.

As a relatively new building product in North America, mass timber use still faces knowledge gaps in the design, engineering, manufacturing, and construction sectors. To address this barrier to growth, the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) organized a three-day workshop dedicated to mass timber construction through Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA). DfMA prioritizes ease of manufacturing and assembly by minimizing time, waste, cost and labor, while improving quality and efficiency.

The workshop employed a hands-on lecture/design/build format, attracting designers, engineers, manufacturers, and contractors. Now in its second year, the sold out workshop drew 16 industry participants and three UBC wood product students who collaborated on the design, fabrication, and assembly of a pavilion using cross-laminated timber and glulam beams.

The workshop’s success and the interest it generated indicate a growing acknowledgment of the significance of DfMA in promoting collaboration, reducing costs, and enhancing the efficiency and quality of mass timber construction projects.

Photos: UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing

To accelerate knowledge transfer and self-learning on mass timber construction and mid-rise light-frame wood building systems (five storeys and up), FII manages the ThinkWood Research Library and supports the Canadian Wood Construction Research Network (CWCRN).

The library provides a searchable database of more than 2,750 reports for architecture, engineering and construction professionals. The library generated more than 5,500 unique site visits over the past year.

The CWCRN is an interdisciplinary program—funded by FII, industry and other government agencies—that is dedicated to academic research on wood construction in Canada. The network links industry with academics and research agencies like FPInnovations. 31 faculty members from 14 Canadian universities, alongside 20 scientists and professionals representing 12 government and industry partners, are working together with over 50 highly qualified personnel trainees who are contributing to research priorities to inform gaps in design methodologies, performance data, environmental impact assessments and design best practices.

FII also funded early-stage research for a UBC – BC Ministry of Forests – Yinka Dene Economic Development (the business branch of Wet’suwet’en First Nation) project into new types of high-performance thermal building insulation made from forest by-products. Two products—micro-fibrillated wood fiber based foamboard and clay-based, flame-retardant woody foam—have shown promising results.

Launched in 2022, Build United grew from Construction Foundation of BC’s Skills Ready and Indigenous Skills initiatives. In response to the need for career exploration activities in B.C.’s K-12 system, it represents an approach to applied learning that considers how to use everyday tools on a jobsite to create connections between learners, explore core curriculum, and encourage collaborative problem solving.

Build United’s projects and processes promote applied learning, delivering workshops for youth and train-the-trainer opportunities for teachers. The initiative represents an opportunity to explore social and cultural themes through interactive, engaging, and hands-on projects; especially those made from wood.

Collaboration continues to strengthen, including 12 formalized partnerships between CFBC and First Nations communities and organizations for ongoing programming and educators across B.C. engaging with the project website, resource guides and idea books to integrate wood-related activities into their teaching practices.

Wood buildings are mounting to new heights across B.C. through the Mass Timber Demonstration Program (MTDP) funded by the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation and FII. Designed to showcase the potential of building taller and larger buildings from wood, the 19 projects include six that are 7+ storeys. Projects range from a new multi-use municipal centre targeting Passive House certification in Castlegar to a 25-storey mass timber rental housing tower in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

FII and naturally:wood are collaborating with WoodWorks BC to document each project in the areas of taller wood, scalability, rental housing, energy efficiency, and new design and construction practices. Lessons learned are being shared with B.C.’s building industry, including design practitioners, developers, construction contractors, provincial and municipal regulators, and permitting and approval agencies.

The Exchange | Photos: Jason Harding, courtesy naturallywood.com

Funded by FII’s Wood First program, in collaboration with the Office of Mass Timber Implementation and BC Hydro, SFU’s Renewable Cities assembled an interdisciplinary team of over 230 architects, developers, municipal planners and building officials. The result was a suite of guides addressing key land use barriers, including zoning omissions explicit to 7- to 12-storey buildings, lack of specific mid-rise designations in official community plans and community design guidelines that are incompatible with cost-effective mass timber construction. The Building Capacity: Local Prefab Mass Timber Solutions Guide also addresses permitting and inspection processes, typically designed for traditional on-site construction, which can obstruct newer building systems and construction processes.