Timber and Off-Site Construction
Course Overview Join WoodWorks and prefab panel supplier, Ron Anderson + Sons, as they discuss strategies for navigating the world of off-site construction, explaining the challenges and benefits of prefabrication and how they impact the design and construction process. Learn about different strategies for navigating code compliance and coordinating with a prefabricated component supplier. The discussion will also cover common constraints like high seismic forces and high efficiency envelopes and how to address these with off-site construction. This one-hour presentation will provide a deeper understanding of the off-site construction process and its implications for your role in designing and constructing wood buildings. Learning Objectives Learn when off-site construction can deliver cost and schedule savings. Learn how to ensure design coordination and specifications align with project requirements and prefabricated component supplier constraints. Learn how construction strategies and detailing are affected when using prefabricated components and how to ensure successful project outcomes. Course Video Speakers Bio Derek Ratzlaff, P.Eng., Struct.Eng., PE Technical Director WoodWorks BC Derek began his career in the wood industry in high school working on single and multi-family light wood frame construction. After university, and almost 20 years of structural consulting experience, Derek has worked in all types of wood construction and played key roles in the delivery of iconic BC wood structures including the Richmond Olympic Oval and Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre. He brings his experience in design and construction to support the industry as a Technical Director for Woodworks BC. Jack Downing President and CEO Ron Anderson and Sons Ltd. Wood Framing Jack’s journey in the framing industry spans over 20 years. He joined RAS in 2012 and his adeptness in orchestrating large sites and coordinating multiple crews immediately made him an invaluable asset to the company. His dedication and strong leadership led to his appointment as President and CEO of RAS in 2019. His journey from a skilled professional to respected industry leader exemplifies the ethos of growth and opportunity that defines RAS’s company culture. Under Jack’s leadership RAS is poised for continuous growth and innovation in the construction industry.
Understanding Glulam: The structural and architectural capabilities of mass timber
Course Overview In this course, you’ll gain insight into the design and manufacturing considerations involved in using glulam in buildings. As one of the oldest mass timber products used in Canada, glulam offers exceptional flexibility and can be incorporated into a wide range of building types—particularly where curvature and expressive geometry are key. Presenters will outline design and manufacturing strategies for creating efficient structures, showing how glulam can be used not just as columns and beams, but as the primary structure in today’s innovative buildings—whether architecturally driven or focused on value and efficiency. They will also cover the availability of glulam products across Canada and explain how to maximize the value of the timber used. Practical tips will be shared to help designers and specifiers take full advantage of glulam’s attributes in a cost-efficient way. Learning Objectives Participants will learn the design strategies employed when using curvature and geometry in buildings and gain an understanding of what is possible with expressive architecture. Participants will understand the practical constraints of glulam manufacturing, including how to approach the design and specification of glulam members. Participants will learn how different wood species and strength grades are applied in glulam design, and how to use them efficiently for optimal performance. Participants will understand how geometry, fire ratings, and member layups influence the cost-efficiency and design potential of glulam systems. Course Video Speakers Bio Andre Lema Manager of Business Development Western Archrib Andre Lema, a seasoned professional in the wood industry, brings decades of experience and expertise. Starting as a carpenter and advancing through a degree in Construction Engineering at NAIT, Andre has been instrumental in driving the success of Western Archrib. His passion for wood and dedication to fostering client relationships have made him a key figure in the industry. Alejandro Coronado, P.Eng. Technical Advisor WoodWorks BC Alejandro Coronado is a Technical Advisor with a multidisciplinary background spanning contracting, supply, and consulting engineering. With both a Diploma and a Bachelor’s Degree in Structural Engineering from BCIT, Alejandro began his career in single-family residential design and steadily advanced to contribute to landmark projects such as the Centre Block Base Isolation at Parliament Hill, the UBC Museum of Anthropology Great Hall Renewal, the Royal BC Museum PARC Campus, and a mass timber campus in Silicon Valley. Initially drawn to mass timber for its expressive architectural potential, Alejandro quickly recognized its broader value in addressing today’s social and environmental challenges. Through many years of hands-on experience, Alejandro has become a champion for sustainable construction and simple yet effective structural solutions.
Aspen Art Museum: Creating an Innovative Wood Structure
Course Overview The Aspen Art Museum, designed by architect Shigeru Ban, includes a long-span three-dimensional wood space-frame roof. Ban’s charge was to create a wood space frame with spans of more than 50 feet and cantilevers of 14 feet, in a structural depth of 3 feet. The space frame was to have two planes of intersecting diagonal webs of curved members that undulated up and down to touch the planes of the top and bottom chords with no visible connectors. This case study presentation will describe the design and construction of the wood structure, including paths explored but not chosen for the final design. Learning Objectives Articulate the particular demands associated with creating a 3-dimensional space frame entirely in wood. Recognize the advantages and disadvantages of several wood connection strategies in space-frame structures. Be aware of manufacturing capabilities and limitations that influenced the design of the Aspen Art Museum roof structure. Understand the importance of early engagement of manufacturing and engineering partners in the design process for innovative wood structures. Course Video Speaker Bio Gregory R. Kingsley, PhD, PE President and CEO KL&A Inc. Gregory is the president and CEO of KL&A Inc., Structural Engineers and Builders in Golden, Colorado, a firm of 65 that includes structural engineers, steel detailers, and construction managers. He enjoys working with design architects on innovative structures, especially wood and steel.
A Business Case for Tall Wood
Course Overview This session will present a vision and business case for innovation, sustainability, and affordability for the tallest residential wood tower in the world (proposed in Nova Scotia). Addressing rapid delivery to meet urgent residential needs supported by Bird Construction costing and scheduling. Learning Objectives Understand the business case for developing tall residential mass timber buildings, including how sustainability, affordability, and rapid delivery needs are addressed through advanced structural design and innovative project phasing strategies. Identify the key costing, scheduling, and manufacturing considerations that influence the feasibility of tall wood construction, including lessons learned from previous mass timber projects and the role of integrated project teams in mitigating bottlenecks. Evaluate how mass timber products such as glulam and CLT can support high‑rise residential development, including insights into supply‑chain innovation, local manufacturing capacity, and the broader economic and environmental impacts of tall wood construction in Atlantic Canada. Course Video Speaker Bio Patrick Crabbe Director of Mass Timber Bird Construction Patrick Crabbe is the Director of Mass Timber at Bird Construction – Bird is a publicly traded, commercial and industrial conglomerate, recognized as a top 5 General Contractor (GC) in Canada. Patrick is also the leader of a Mass Timber Manufacturing start-up, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. MTC is a sawmill integrated, glulam focused entity, that is currently executing a $2.3M feasibility effort to code approve proprietary high performing mass timber products (made from undervalued-commodity maritime spruce, pine and fir) that will expand the needed capacity of North American mass timber products and positively impact sustainable forestry practises. Patrick’s professional career has been dedicated to developing markets for high-value structural wood products and working with industry to facilitate the. Through this experience, Patrick has a comprehensive understanding of construction contract methods supply chain solutions to set-up large, complex, mass timber build programs for success. Patrick is an active member of the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (led by the World Bank) and a trusted advisor to Infrastructure British Columbia and the Canadian Wood Council. Joe Nickerson Vice President & Partner Sidewalk Real Estate Development Joe Nickerson is a leader with a proven history of success managing a variety of real estate portfolios for high-net-worth families in Toronto, Alberta, and British Columbia. Joe has worked at RBC Capital Markets and for both private and public real estate holding companies ranging from $100M to $11B in AUM. Joe holds an MBA with a specialization in Real Estate & Infrastructure from Schulich School of Business and studied Private Equity & Finance at SDA Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.
