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Wood Design Tools & Calculators

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) offers simple, easy-to-use, and free design tools to help architects, engineers, and builders work more efficiently with wood. From electronic design calculators to practical construction guides, our resources make wood design more accessible and straightforward.

CWC offers a number of free resources available to wood professionals as well as wood enthusiasts.

The Canadian Wood Council’s Design Tools have been developed for information purposes only. Although all possible efforts have been made to ensure that the information on these tools is accurate, the CWC cannot under any circumstances guarantee the completeness, accuracy or exactness of the information. Reference should always be made to the appropriate Building Code and/or Standard. This tool should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal or design advice, and the user is responsible for how the tool is used or applied.

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Mark your calendars! WoodWorks Atlantic and the Canadian Wood Council are pleased to present the Wood Solutions Conference in Halifax this fall — and we want you there.

Tickets will be available in August! Stay tuned for details regarding Early Bird Registration!

In wood construction, success is rarely improvised. It’s the earned result of early design coordination, clearly communicated expectations, and a shared commitment to getting the details right—from design concept through to completion. Whether a project’s priority is accelerated construction timelines, lasting architectural impact, future disassembly and reuse, or all these things and more, the through line is thoughtful, deliberate planning.

As a structural system, timber calls for a high degree of coordination—especially as its applications continue to evolve and expand. It rewards teams who design with intent: those who understand that every exposed surface carries architectural weight, that detecting clashes early in the design phase avoids costly rework during construction, and that planning for a building’s end-of-life is just as essential as designing its first impression.

Society’s growing demand for low-carbon construction brings new urgency—and opportunity—to these conversations. As we continue to advance prefabricated, high-performance, and demountable wood building systems, the need for early alignment—between architect and engineer, builder and client—is not just integral to the success of individual projects, but to the advancement of the industry as a whole.

This issue of Wood Design & Building leans into that reality. As construction methods evolve, we examine how clear communication and coordination don’t just mitigate risk—they drive better outcomes for the built environment. In a construction landscape that values speed, efficiency, and low-carbon outcomes, it’s advanced planning and clear communication that turn ambition into meaningful results.

We’re not just building with wood. We’re building with purpose, intention, and care. And that process starts long before the first beam or panel is lifted into place.

The Engineering Complex at UNB is comprised of five buildings, all constructed at different times, and physically connected as one. The first building constructed in 1901, was the original Engineering Building, designed in the Romanesque Revival style, followed closely thereafter by the former Gymnasium, converted in 1944 to the Electrical Engineering Build-ing. In 1957, an expansion to the western side of the two original engineering buildings was made. Sir Edmund Head Hall, a five-storey, 13,600 sq.m (140,000 sf) addition was con-structed to the north of the previous mentioned buildings. Gillin Hall was added to the west side of Head Hall in 1989 and the Information Technology Centre was added to the south of Gillin Hall along Windsor Street in 2000.

In April of 2017, UNB requested Murdock & Boyd Architects to come up with a design solution for a new prominent Main Entrance to the Head Hall Engineering Complex, one that celebrates the engineering programs that are delivered at this institution. The space is designed to allow for and promote the collaboration and interaction of students and faculty, provide for additional graduate study areas, larger crush space from the Dineen Auditorium and a space to exhibit and visually celebrate all the disciplines of the world renowned UNB Engineering programs and its graduates.

This workshop covers wood construction connectors, design apps, mass timber connectors, mass timber fasteners, structural screws, and anchor systems, with demonstrations on hanger testing, fastener installation, and anchor installation and testing.

Discover the innovative world of timber construction through a series of exclusive offsite tours during Woodrise.  Explore Vancouver and beyond as you visit groundbreaking commercial, community, and residential projects that highlight the beauty, sustainability, and ingenuity of wood in modern architecture.

This report serves as a practical guide for small to medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, and builders looking to transition into offsite construction. With a specific focus on prefabricated elements and modular systems, it offers actionable guidance for manufacturers considering process expansion or upgrades. Covering critical topics such as business planning, transformational change, financial efficiency, design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA), and technology integration, the report emphasizes that success in offsite construction depends not only on technical capability, but also on strategic foresight and organizational readiness.

Drawing on lessons from both successful and stalled ventures, the report identifies common pitfalls—including rushed implementation, cultural resistance, and premature technology investment—and outlines a disciplined, step-by-step approach to navigating them. Through key themes such as aligning prefabrication with business goals, managing operational change, optimizing financial strategies, and adopting technology judiciously, the report provides a roadmap for sustainable growth. Its insights advocate for a manufacturing mindset rooted in efficiency and adaptability, helping firms approach offsite construction with confidence, clarity, and resilience.

Mass timber construction offers speed, sustainability, and design flexibility – but it also requires a higher level of coordination than traditional structural systems. Its prefabricated components and tight tolerances call for early planning, clear communication, and a shared understanding across the project team. Ensuring that all partners – including those less familiar with timber construction – are aligned on these unique requirements helps avoid costly delays and, more importantly, positions the team to fully capitalize on the benefits mass timber has to offer.

The emerging use of mass timber in industrial buildings presents promising opportunities that are shaping the future of construction in this sector. As a sustainable and economically competitive alternative, mass timber is redefining industrial construction, a field traditionally dominated by prefabricated steel. An analysis of two cutting-edge projects in Sudbury, Ontario, highlights key advantages, including cost competitiveness, reduced embodied carbon, and aesthetic appeal. The insights from these two projects present stakeholders with helpful considerations and valuable strategies for integrating mass timber into future developments.

OTTAWA, ON, 23 APR 2025 – The Canadian Wood Council is accepting submissions for the 2025 Wood Design & Building Awards. Now in its 41st year, this annual program invites architects, designers, and project teams from across North America and around the world to submit their most inspiring wood projects for consideration.

“At its core, this program is a celebration of architectural excellence,” says Martin Richard, VP Market Development & Communications at the Canadian Wood Council. “Each year, we’re inspired by the many ways designers harness wood’s versatile beauty—from bold, expressive forms to quietly transformative spaces.”

Over the decades, we’ve seen the creativity and talent of hundreds of project teams bring important changes to the built environment—elevating wood from a niche material to a sustainable, mainstream design ambition. While the awards program has always shone a light on architectural excellence in wood, winning projects in recent years also frequently demonstrate innovation, technical achievement, and a strong commitment to sustainability.

Submissions will be reviewed by a distinguished jury of Canadian and American architects. Projects will be evaluated based on creativity, design excellence, and the innovative and appropriate use of wood to achieve project objectives.

Award categories for 2025 include:

  • Non-residential
  • Residential
  • Adaptive Reuse, Additions, and Renovations
  • International Building
  • Other (e.g. exterior structures, bridges)

 

The program also includes several specialty awards:

  • Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Award
  • Sansin Award
  • Real Cedar Award
  • Wood Preservation Canada (WPC) Award
  • Regional WoodWorks Awards for Ontario, British Columbia, and the Prairies

 

Winners will receive a custom wood trophy and be recognized through a media announcement, social media, a feature profile on the Wood Innovation Network, and editorial coverage in Wood Design & Building Magazine (digital edition).

Key Dates
Early Bird Deadline: May 31, 2025
Final Submission Deadline: June 27, 2025

For more information and to submit your project, please visit: https://cwc.ca/wood-design-and-building-awards/

 

LEAKY BUILDINGS AND DECAYING WOOD – WHAT’S HAPPENING?

The news across North America seems to frequently contain stories about serious moisture failures in wood-frame buildings. Whether it’s Vancouver’s “leaky condo crisis” or the “EIFS disaster” in North Carolina, homeowners are struggling with wood decay wherever the other components of the building’s walls and roof aren’t properly protecting the wood structure from excessive moisture. Interestingly, leaks are also getting attention in steel and concrete high-rises, causing rust in steel studs and fasteners and degradation of gypsum wallboard.

Why are we suddenly finding so many failures in buildings, including in our tried-and-true wood construction? This is a frustrating problem for everyone in the building industry, because there are no easy answers. It’s convenient to blame unskilled or unethical practitioners in the building industry. Other occasional targets for blame include municipalities for developing zoning ordinances that conflict with performance issues; energy efficiency codes for making our building envelopes tighter; new and complicated materials in our building envelopes; the building occupants for not practising proper maintenance; or the wood, which some seem to feel has declined in quality. The bottom line: many people have opinions, but so far there is little firm technical data to answer these questions. Please see our Links page for some of the research institutions working in this area.

Buildings have probably always leaked, although it is only recently that moisture seems to be a problem. Some believe that the difference is that today’s buildings are less tolerant of those leaks; that perhaps the older buildings were able to dry out. Another theory is that today’s leaky buildings leak more than in the past, due to design errors, sloppy construction, lack of overhangs, etc.

Thankfully, many people working in the building industry have turned their attention towards better design and construction practice for moisture control. A number of “best practice guides” are listed in our Links section.

HOW CAN I TELL IF WOOD IS DECAYED?

If wood is badly decayed, this will be quite obvious. The wood will be soft and perhaps even be breakable by hand. Decayed wood breaks with a carrot-like snap versus the splintering of sound wood. Use the pick test to be sure.

MY WOOD IS STAINED – IS IT DECAY?

Probably not, if this is new lumber. There are many harmless sources of wood stains, including dirt, iron filings, or staining fungi that merely colour the wood without damaging it. Please see the fact sheet “Discolourations on wood products: Causes and Implications” for a thorough explanation including photos. If the discoloured wood is found in a leaky building under repair and may have been wet, perform the pick test to see if it is rotted – see our page on Assessing decay.

I HAVE DECAYED WOOD – WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Remove all decayed wood and additionally remove another two feet of sound wood all around the decayed section. Any sound wood that is left in place when decayed wood around it has been removed should be field treated with a penetrating preservative. Also field treat any wood that may continue to get wet after repairs. We recommend preservatives containing a diffusible low-toxicity fungicide such as sodium borate, and low-toxicity formulating agents which assist in penetrating dry wood, such as propylene glycol. By the time the cladding has been removed, the structure has been inspected and the decayed wood has been removed, the wood left in place will likely have dried too much for effective use of formulations without a penetration aid. Under conditions of high relative humidity, the propylene glycol may cause a short term increase in the moisture content at the wood surface. For more information, please see our page on Assessing decay.

IS KILN-DRIED LUMBER MORE RESISTANT TO DECAY THAN GREEN OR AIR-DRIED LUMBER?

One advantage of kiln-dried lumber is that any live fungi present in the green lumber will have been killed by the heat of the kiln; in other words, KD lumber is sterile after leaving the kiln. However, if it gets sufficiently wet afterwards, then it is at the same risk of decay as any other wood.

ARE COMPOSITE WOOD PRODUCTS MORE RESISTANT TO DECAY THAN SOLID LUMBER?

No. Composite products (glulam, OSB, laminated veneer lumber, etc.) have the same resistance to decay as the wood from which they were made. The adhesives used in composites do not affect decay resistance.

DO WE HAVE TERMITES IN CANADA?

Yes, in a few limited areas across the country and to a greater extent around Toronto, termite species causing damage to buildings are present. Although termites are a significant problem in parts of southern Ontario, overall they are only a mild concern in this country. They prefer warmer conditions and are a far greater problem in parts of the United States. In Canada we do not have the voracious Formosan subterranean termite causing so much damage in the southeastern US.

WHAT IS DRY ROT?

Contrary to popular usage, dry rot does not mean rot that can happen in dry wood, or wood that has rotted and dried out. Dry rot is a specific kind of fungus, although the term is very commonly misused to describe all wood rot. This is unfortunate, because it disassociates rot from moisture. Wood rot always requires moisture, and the key to wood durability is the control of moisture. Wood that rotted long ago and is now dry was moist at the time of the rot. The true dry rot fungus has the ability to tap into a water source and conduct water to what would otherwise be dry wood. However, it has to wet the wood before it can attack the wood. The true dry rot fungus is more likely to be found in buildings that contain brick or stone than in all-wood buildings.

HOW FAST DOES WOOD DECAY?

It’s impossible to say; there are so many variables that influence the process. In a laboratory, under ideal conditions for decay fungi, wood can rot quite quickly. However, in real life applications, the entire process is slower and unpredictable.

This Guide is designed to help educators increase wood content in their already crowded curricula, exposing students to the unique challenges and opportunities of designing with advanced wood systems, within the context of the program and student performance criteria established, maintained, and evaluated by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board.

OTTAWA, ON, 1 APR 2025 – The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is pleased to announce the release of five new Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for Canadian softwood lumber, oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, trusses, and prefabricated wood I-joists. These EPDs provide comprehensive, transparent environmental data on the potential impacts associated with the cradle-to-gate life cycle stages of these essential wood products.

Developed as regionalized, industry-wide business-to-business (B2B) Type III declarations, the EPDs comply with the highest international standards, including ISO 21930, ISO 14025, ISO 14040, ISO 14044, the governing product category rules, and ASTM General Program Instructions for Type III EPDs. This ensures credible, third-party verified environmental impact data, supporting designers, builders, and policymakers in making informed, sustainable material choices.

“The release of these new EPDs reinforces our commitment to transparency and sustainability in the wood products sector,” said Peter Moonen, National Sustainability Manager at the Canadian Wood Council. “By providing robust, science-based environmental information, we’re equipping the industry with the tools needed to demonstrate the environmental benefits of wood and support low-carbon construction.”

The EPDs are available for download from the Canadian Wood Council’s digital resource hub: www.cwc.ca

EPDLink
An Industry Average EPD for Canadian Pre-fabricated Wood I-JoistsView Resource
A Regionalized Industry Average EPD for Canadian Softwood LumberView Resource
A Regionalized Industry Average EPD for Canadian Oriented Strand BoardView Resource
An Industry Average EPD for Canadian Softwood PlywoodView Resource
A Regionalized Industry Average EPD for Canadian Wood TrussesView Resource
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