Canadian Wood Council Unveils New Brand Identity for WoodWorks Program
OTTAWA, Ontario – September 27, 2023 – The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is delighted to announce the launch of an updated brand identity for its WoodWorks program. This reimagined look created in partnership with agency partner BBDO Canada, improves the accessibility of the brand and establishes an independent visual identity for the Canadian WoodWorks program within a rapidly evolving marketplace. With its simplified, modern design, the brand embraces inclusivity and invites a broader audience to explore the benefits of wood construction and the important role it must play in the future of sustainable development. The newly unveiled brand identity embodies the WoodWorks program’s dedication to technical excellence, environmental responsibility, and service to communities and individuals across Canada. Martin Richard, Vice-President Communications and Market Development at the Canadian Wood Council, expressed his enthusiasm for the rebrand, stating, “We are pleased to launch this new brand identity which better reflects the quality of WoodWorks’s technical leadership and purpose of the program while signaling our commitment to the environment and people the program serves. It’s an exciting step toward ensuring that the program is clear and accessible to all, reinforcing our dedication to advancing wood construction and sustainable development in Canada and beyond.” The WoodWorks program, under its new brand identity, is focused on expert led technical support to developers, architects, engineers, builders, and other industry professionals who want to expand their capacity for wood design and construction. The program remains committed to the pursuit of technical excellence and to connecting professionals with the information and resources they need to pursue wood construction in all its forms as well as providing valuable resources and educational opportunities. The design ethos of the new brand identity pays homage to Canadian Modernism, honouring a style that is timeless in its simplicity and functionality. The symbol showcases the strength of our collaboration with the AEC+D community in enabling construction with wood. The refreshed colour palette draws inspiration from the organic hues found in our forests, wood products and the many construction sites across Canada. The Canadian Wood Council invites everyone to reacquaint themselves with the WoodWorks program and its new brand identity. High-resolution images of the new brand identity and logos are available upon request.
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories: Case Study and Environmental Impact Analysis This report showcases how Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) delivered three landmark mass timber buildings at its Chalk River campus while meeting the federal government’s net-zero commitments. It highlights how an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) approach enabled collaboration across architects, engineers, and builders to achieve cost-neutral, low-carbon construction. Readers will learn how the project team reduced embodied and operational carbon well beyond federal targets, demonstrated the fire safety and durability of mass timber, and created high-performance workplaces that enhance occupant well-being. With lessons on procurement, codes, and whole-building life cycle assessment, the case study offers a practical roadmap for governments, designers, and developers aiming to accelerate Canada’s transition to sustainable, net-zero infrastructure.
Promoting Health and Wellness with Wood Architecture
Advancing Mass Timber Systems in Vancouver Schools
Low-Rise Commercial Construction in Wood
Across Canada, the low-rise non-residential sector—think offices, retail stores, warehouses, and restaurants—presents a major growth opportunity for structural wood systems, including light wood-frame, heavy timber, mass timber, and hybrid construction. Together, retail, office, and light industrial warehouse buildings account for nearly 75% of new floor space in this market each year. Yet despite their scale, these segments continue to show low uptake of structural wood. As retailers adapt to the shift toward online shopping and businesses compete to attract talent, the design and performance of their buildings matter more than ever. Wood offers a sustainable, visually appealing solution that enhances employee well-being and elevates commercial spaces. This new technical publication explores the market potential, challenges, and the role wood can play in redefining this sector.
The Canadian Guide to Mid-Rise Wood Construction 2021
Surface Flammability and Flame-Spread Ratings
Fire Separations & Fire-Resistance Ratings
Tall Wood Course of Construction Site Fire Safety
Four-Storey Wood School Design in British Columbia: Life Cycle Analysis Comparisons
Climate change is one of the largest threats facing the planet today. The construction industry accounts for 11% of global carbon emissions, playing a significant part in the climate crisis. To determine the best solution for future school buildings, not only does practicability, economy and constructability play a part, so does sustainability. In order to better understand the embodied carbon emissions associated with the construction of new school buildings in British Columbia, the embodied carbon content associated with the four framing systems examples in the companion report, An Analysis of Structural System Cost Comparisons (costing study), was assessed. The purpose of this study is to allow the embodied carbon associated with these systems to become an important factor when choosing a viable scheme. Embodied carbon is the carbon footprint of a material or product. To determine the embodied carbon of a building you must consider the quantity of greenhouse gases associated with the building. The most effective way to measure this is through Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), a study which determines the embodied carbon from cradle to grave (material extraction to building demolition). Consequently, an LCA was conducted for each of the four schemes presented in the costing study. Additionally, for wood frame Options A and B, WoodWorks online carbon calculator was used to determine the potential carbon savings associated with carbon sequestering.
Four-Storey Wood School Design in British Columbia: An Analysis of Structural System Cost Comparisons
As land values continue to rise, particularly in higher-density urban environments, schools with smaller footprints will become increasingly necessary to satisfy enrollment demands. There are currently several planned new school projects throughout British Columbia that anticipate requiring either three-or four storey buildings, and it is forecast that demand for school buildings of this size will continue to rise. Though timber construction would offer a viable structural material option for these buildings, the British Columbia Building Code (BCBC 2018) currently limits schools comprised of timber construction to a maximum of two storeys, while also imposing limits on the overall floor area. Given these constraints, the development of viable structural options that would accommodate larger and taller schools constructed primarily with timber materials has not been a key focus. With the above factors in mind, the purpose of this report is to build upon the findings of the previously published Design Options for Three- and Four-Storey Wood School Buildings in British Columbia prepared by Fast + Epp and Thinkspace dated November 2019. Specifically, this report supplements the previous one by providing guidance in assessing and comparing the various framing options considered in the previous report primarily on a cost basis.
Wood Design Manual 2020
The Wood Design Manual is the Canadian reference on the design of timber structures, under gravity and lateral loadings, according to Part 4 of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) and the “Engineering design in wood” standard (CSA O86). It provides guidance and design examples on sawn and engineered wood members, their connections and fire design. The most common design situations encountered by practicing engineers are covered through intuitive Selection Tables. In addition, the Wood Design Manual contains the latest CSA O86 Standard, as well as a technical commentary written by timber design experts including members of the Standard’s technical committee. The 2020 Wood Design Manual includes a copy of the CSA O86:19 Standard, incorporating Update No.3 – July 2021. The main changes in this edition are:
