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Canadian Wood Council Joins Ontario’s Advanced Wood Construction Working Group

Toronto, ON – December 3, 2025 The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) welcomes the Ontario government’s launch of the Advanced Wood Construction Working Group, a strategic team that will guide the implementation of Ontario’s Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan. 

The Working Group brings together leaders from across the manufacturing and construction sectors to identify practical ways to expand the use of Ontario-made wood products in homes, businesses, and communities across the province. 

“Ontario continues to show leadership in advancing innovative, low-carbon building solutions,” said Rick Jeffery, President and CEO of the Canadian Wood Council. “CWC looks forward to contributing technical expertise and national insight to help deliver on the Action Plan’s goals and grow advanced wood construction in Ontario.” 

As part of the Working Group, CWC will collaborate with government and industry partners to accelerate adoption of mass timber and prefabricated wood systems, support code modernization and training, and promote greater use of Ontario’s sustainable wood products in construction.  

“Building with wood offers a highly efficient solution for addressing Ontario’s housing needs while supporting the growth of local value-added manufacturing. More industrialized wood construction means more opportunities for skilled workers and their communities. I am proud to support Ontario’s leading role in the evolving construction sector, contributing to a more resilient, efficient, and forward-looking building environment.” Steven Street, Executive Director, WoodWorks Ontario, Canadian Wood Council. 

This initiative marks an important step forward in implementing Ontario’s Action Plan and driving investment, innovation, and housing solutions through advanced wood construction. 

About the Canadian Wood Council 

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is Canada’s unifying voice for the wood products industry. As a national federation of associations, our members represent hundreds of manufacturers across the country. Our mission is to support our members by accelerating market demand for wood products and championing responsible leadership through excellence in codes, standards, and regulations. We also deliver technical support and knowledge transfer for the construction sector through our market leading WoodWorks program. 

Quiet by Design

Course Overview

Join us for Quiet by Design, an in-depth course exploring how to achieve consistent, high-performing acoustics in mass timber projects. In partnership with AcoustiTECH, a panel of leading acoustic experts will unpack the complexities of flanking (Kij), share best-practice detailing strategies—including bulkheads and wall interfaces—to help you avoid costly construction errors, and present the latest research on lightweight floor and ceiling assemblies for mass timber systems, including GLT. 

Expect practical design strategies, real-world insights, and clear, actionable guidance to help you choose the right acoustic solutions for your next project. 

Learning Objectives

  1. Understanding and Addressing Flanking (Kij): Gain a clear understanding of how sound transmits through indirect paths and learn proven methods to identify, measure, and control flanking effectively.
  2. Best Practices in Acoustic Design: Discover key detailing approaches—such as optimized bulkhead integration and wall interfaces—that enhance acoustic performance, improve Kij values, and minimize costly construction errors.
  3. Lightweight Assemblies for Mass Timber Structures: Explore innovative, lightweight floor and ceiling assemblies purpose-designed for mass timber systems, including the latest findings and design guidance for GLT applications.

Course Video

Speakers Bio

Cristian Wallace
AcoustiTECH

Cristian Wallace has extensive experience in collaborating with architects, builders, acoustic consultants, and other stakeholders. He focuses on delivering tailored acoustical solutions to meet the specific needs of each project. With a hands-on approach, Cristian evaluates every detail to provide efficient, personalized solutions that help clients achieve their vision. His expertise, combined with AcoustiTECH’s proven methods, ensures reliable and effective outcomes in every collaboration.

Ben White
Senior Acoustical Engineer
Aercoustics Engineering Ltd.

David Dompierre
Senior Noise Consultant
SIBE Acoustics

Simon Edwards
Senior Acoustical Engineer
HGC Noise Vibration Acoustics

Wood Design & Building Magazine, vol 24, issue 99

As the design and construction industry collectively strives towards a more sustainable built environment, one of the more interesting challenges in architecture today is how to work with what already exists. When existing structures are adapted and repurposed rather than demolished once they outlive their original use, resources are conserved, greenhouse gas emissions are lowered, heritage is preserved, and decarbonization goals are advanced.

Whether it’s adapting a historic structure to a new use or extending the life of a contemporary one with a creative renovation or addition, designers are exploring the possibilities and finding ways to integrate wood into projects that build on the foundations of the past, figuratively and literally, to meet the needs of the present.

In this issue, two feature stories explore different approaches to giving existing buildings new, expanded purpose. One project breathes new life into a traditional fieldstone barn through adaptive reuse, while another demonstrates how a lightweight mass timber vertical addition can expand an existing apartment building, adding new units to help meet growing housing needs. Both illustrate how wood enables design solutions that are respectful, efficient, and forward-looking.

Projects like these remind us that innovation is a form of evolution, and sometimes, the most sustainable, creative, and community-minded choice is to work with what you’ve already got.

Mass Timber Industrial Buildings and Warehouses

Course Overview

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 what is possible in 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 superior aesthetic appeal. The insights from these two projects present stakeholders with helpful considerations and valuable strategies for integrating mass timber into future developments.

Learning Objectives

  1. Participants will learn how to create flexible, multi-tenant industrial layouts using mass timber systems that are able to accommodate evolving tenant needs.
  2. Participants will gain insight into how early-stage collaboration with mass timber suppliers streamlines design, engineering, and construction processes.
  3. Participants will gain insight into the role of mass timber in biophilic design, and how its visual warmth and natural materials contribute to wellness-centred spaces that appeal to tenants.
  4. Participants will understand how mass timber can be a cost-competitive alternative to steel, especially in volatile markets, and assess its impact on embodied carbon and sustainability goals.

Course Video

Speakers Bio

Darian Sweeney, B.Sc., B.B.A
Chief Operating Officer
Bloomington Developments

Born and raised in Greater Sudbury, Darian holds dual bachelor’s degrees from Laurentian University – in Biochemistry and Business Administration with a specialization in finance. In December of 2021, he joined Bloomington Developments, a real estate investor and developer in Greater Sudbury with a focus on commercial and industrial assets. While he has had the chance to apply his skills in capital budgeting, asset valuation, financial forecasting, and cost tracking in his time with Bloomington, his first major role with the company was unrelated to his educational background: overseeing the two concurrent mass timber building projects that are the subject of this seminar. Darian now manages all construction projects – whether new builds or renovations – and negotiates all leases across the company’s portfolio, in addition to his roles as primary liaison on legal, administrative, tenant relations, marketing, and business development matters.

Patrick Danielson, OAA + AIBC, MRAIC
Founder and Principal
Danielson Architecture Office Inc.

Patrick holds a degree in Biomedical Science and a graduate degree from the School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia. Combining these disciplines, he developed a unique “genetic design” approach — an evolving architectural strategy informed by biological principles. Patrick has expanded this framework through academic research, patented innovations, private sector projects, biological studies, and his experience as a pilot.

Emerging Solutions for Mass Timber in Healthcare 

Resource Description

Healthcare buildings are among the most complex and resource-intensive structures we design and, increasingly, they are being asked to do more. Modern hospitals not only need to support healing for patients and staff, but also to contribute to planetary health by reducing carbon emissions and addressing social and environmental determinants of wellbeing. To meet these goals, hospital design must evolve beyond the “squeezed and standardized” approach that has long defined it. 

Mass timber is emerging as a credible alternative to conventional systems for larger-scale, high-rise institutional buildings. Recent advancements in material science, manufacturing, engineering, and fire safety have made it possible to consider timber as a structural solution for complex facilities — including hospitals. 

Recognizing that innovation in healthcare design must be evidence-based, this collaborative study explores the feasibility of using mass timber for a 200+ bed acute care hospital. The multidisciplinary team — including KPMB Architects, PHSA (Provincial Health Services Authority of BC), Fast + Epp, Smith + Andersen, Resource Planning Group, CHM Fire, Hanscomb, AMB Planning, and EllisDon — developed and evaluated a detailed test design for a mass timber inpatient tower suited to the Canadian context. The study examined structure, cost, schedule, lifecycle carbon, code compliance, infection control, and biophilic design as part of a holistic approach to sustainable healthcare infrastructure. 

Learning Objectives

  1. Identify the key drivers that influence structural system selection in healthcare building design.
  2. Describe the opportunities, limitations, and specific considerations associated with using mass timber in hospital environments.
  3. Summarize findings from an in-progress feasibility study for a mass timber inpatient tower in a Canadian acute care setting.
  4. Evaluate the comparative schedule, cost, and lifecycle carbon outcomes identified in the study, and discuss implications for future healthcare projects.

Course Video

Speakers Bio

Chris McQuillan, OAA, AIBC, FRAIC LEED AP
Principal
KPMB Architects

Chris McQuillan, a registered architect and a distinguished Fellow of the RAIC, brings three decades of experience in planning, design and construction for healthcare and biomedical research. He has completed work across Canada, southeast Asia and in the Caribbean. In the healthcare sphere, his experience includes acute, rehabilitation and mental health treatment. Recently, Chris has designed major additions to Burnaby Hospital and Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, a major expansion of the Halifax Infirmary, a new regional hospital in Corner Brook Newfoundland, a provincial specialty hospital for addictions and mental health in St John’s and strategic planning for the phased renovation of Royal Columbian Hospital here in Vancouver.

A resident of Toronto, but active across Canada and beyond, Chris joined KPMB Architects in 2024 to propel the growth of the firm’s work in the healthcare sector. Chris’ focus in the design of healthcare facilities is to create healing architecture – for people, for our cities and for the planet. Mass timber must come to be viewed as an indispensable tool to help us achieve that goal.

Juan J. Cruz Martinez, M.Arch, M.Des, EDAC, LEED GA
Senior Director, Major Capital Projects
Provincial Health Services Authority


Lisa Miller-Way, C.E.T., LET
Director
CHM Fire

Mass Timber Business Case Studies

This document presents a series of business case studies that explore the financial performance of mass timber projects, providing quantitative data and qualitative insights to help developers and investors assess its economic viability.

Each case study measures investment success, challenges, and lessons learned from the developer’s and project team’s perspectives. Moreover, by analyzing strategy, risk, revenue, cost and schedule, these case studies enable direct comparisons between mass timber and traditional construction methods.

WoodWorks is seeking developers and owners with completed mass timber projects to share data for analysis, supporting education and training in the mass timber sector. The goal is to continuously expand case studies across various sectors and markets. To participate or learn more, please contact a WoodWorks staff member.

Webinar: Emerging Solutions for Mass Timber in Healthcare

Canadian Wood Council’s WoodWorks Program Welcomes Rothoblaas Canada as National Partner

Ottawa, Ontario – October 16, 2025 — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is pleased to welcome Rothoblaas Canada as a new national partner of its WoodWorks program. This collaboration aligns two organizations committed to advancing wood construction across Canada through education, technical support, and strategic market development.

As demand for high-performance, low-carbon buildings drives greater adoption of mass timber and other engineered wood systems, this partnership will strengthen the technical ecosystem supporting Canada’s construction industry. Leveraging Rothoblaas’s international leadership in structural connection technologies, envelope systems, and on-site safety solutions alongside WoodWorks’ national expertise in education, technical support, and market development, the collaboration will help advance best practices in timber design and construction. Together, the organizations will facilitate knowledge transfer and design innovation to support the integration of wood as a mainstream material in Canadian building projects.

“For more than 20 years, WoodWorks has been delivering technical expertise and support to the professionals advancing wood construction across Canada. Partnering with this respected network allows Rothoblaas Canada to share our global engineering experience and help drive innovation in connection systems, building envelope performance, and safe, efficient timber assembly,” says François-Laurent Chabot, General Manager & Region Sales Manager for Rothoblaas Canada.

“WoodWorks is proud to collaborate with Rothoblaas Canada to help build industry knowledge and acceptance of modern timber connection systems and other assembly solutions,” says Rick Jeffery, President and CEO of the Canadian Wood Council. “This partnership integrates Rothoblaas Canada’s expertise in engineered connectors and building envelope technologies with WoodWorks’ national platform for education and sector advancement—supporting a more seamless, performance-based approach to wood construction.”

Through shared outreach, resource development, and technical education across the country, this national partnership aims to equip architects, builders, and developers with the knowledge they need to confidently design and build with wood. Broader adoption of wood solutions can play a pivotal role in meeting national housing and infrastructure goals, while contributing to Canada’s climate objectives and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

About the Canadian Wood Council

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is Canada’s unifying voice for the wood products industry. As a national federation of associations, our members represent hundreds of manufacturers across the country. Our mission is to support our members by accelerating market demand for wood products and championing responsible leadership through excellence in codes, standards, and regulations. We also deliver technical support and knowledge transfer for the construction sector through our market leading WoodWorks program.

About the National WoodWorks Program

The Canadian Wood Council’s WoodWorks Program a national outreach initiative dedicated to advancing the use of wood in construction by providing educational opportunities and direct technical support. The program helps architects, engineers, developers and other industry professionals expand their capacity for wood design and construction, contributing to a more sustainable built environment.

About Rothoblaas Canada

Rothoblaas Canada is a leading provider of innovative solutions for mass timber and wood construction, offering a comprehensive range of structural fasteners, connection systems, membranes, and safety products. As part of the global Rothoblaas group, the Canadian division supports architects, engineers, and builders with technical expertise and code-compliant solutions tailored to local needs. Through research, education, and collaboration, Rothoblaas Canada advances high-performance, sustainable construction and helps drive the growth of Canada’s wood building industry.

Canadian Wood Council’s WoodWorks Program Welcomes Nordic Structures as National Partner

Ottawa, Ontario – October 14, 2025 — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is pleased to welcome Nordic Structures as a new national partner of its WoodWorks program. A longstanding Gold Level Sponsor of Cecobois (Centre d’expertise sur la construction commerciale en bois), WoodWorks’ sister organization in Quebec, Nordic Structures now joins WoodWorks as a partner at the national level.

“Nordic Structures brings exceptional technical expertise and a deep commitment to responsible forest stewardship. Their collaboration with WoodWorks builds on years of leadership in Quebec and extends that impact nationally. By working together, we’re helping ensure that more communities across Canada can benefit from the innovation and environmental performance that wood construction delivers. “ says Rick Jeffery, President & CEO of the Canadian Wood Council.

“Building on our valued relationship with Cecobois, we are excited to partner with WoodWorks to advance the knowledge, innovation, and adoption of engineered wood products as a structural solution across Canada,” said David Croteau, Nordic Structures, Vice-President, Operations and Engineering.

As we look to the future, partnerships like this are vital to expanding the adoption of structural wood solutions that can meet Canada’s growing demand for affordable housing and resilient infrastructure. Nordic’s leadership in design, engineering, and manufacturing—combined with the technical expertise of WoodWorks—will help unlock new opportunities for high-performance, low-carbon buildings across every region of the country.

About the Canadian Wood Council
The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is Canada’s unifying voice for the wood products industry. As a national federation of associations, our members represent hundreds of manufacturers across the country. Our mission is to support our members by accelerating market demand for wood products and championing responsible leadership through excellence in codes, standards, and regulations. We also deliver technical support and knowledge transfer for the construction sector through our market leading WoodWorks program.

About the National WoodWorks Program
The Canadian Wood Council’s WoodWorks Program a national outreach initiative dedicated to advancing the use of wood in construction by providing educational opportunities and direct technical support. The program helps architects, engineers, developers and other industry professionals expand their capacity for wood design and construction, contributing to a more sustainable built environment.

Nordic Structures
Nordic Structures offers engineered wood products and comprehensive technical services to enable state-of-the-art mass timber projects. Nordic’s founding company, Chantiers Chibougamau, responsibly harvests black spruce from Northern Quebec’s boreal forest and transforms the raw material into a full catalog of wood-based products, from I-joists to both industrial and architectural grades of glulam and CLT. Collaborating with architects, engineers, and construction firms, the team has delivered successful results on thousands of mass timber projects spanning all major sectors of public life.

Acoustic Comparative Study

In a context where wood construction is gaining momentum, acoustics remains a key challenge in ensuring occupant comfort and compliance with standards. With this in mind, AcoustiTECH, an expert in acoustic solutions, has partnered with FPInnovations, a leader in research and development in the wood sector, to conduct an in-depth comparative study in its laboratory facility.

Who We Are

AcoustiTECH is a broker specializing in acoustic solutions, supporting building professionals in selecting highperformance materials that meet and exceed industry standards. With 25 years of experience and unique expertise, we offer customized assemblies through a specialized brand ecosystem and reliable data. Our personalized service, backed by dedicated technical and engineering teams, ensures tailored and effective
solutions that enhance the acoustic comfort of occupants. FPInnovations is a globally recognized, private, non-profit organization specializing in research and development for the forestry sector. Its mission is to support businesses and building professionals in innovating and optimizing wood-based materials. With ISO 17025-accredited laboratories and state-of-the-art facilities, FPInnovations assesses the performance of wood structures in terms of acoustics, vibrations, fire resistance, and more.

Study Objective

At AcoustiTECH, our goal is to continuously innovate by delivering new data and acoustic solutions tailored to the specific requirements of each project. This collaboration with FPInnovations marks a significant milestone in our acoustic analysis of wood structures, as it represents our first large-scale data collection on a GLT masstimber slab and our second mass-timber campaign overall, building on a prior study.

Through this study, we obtain precise acoustic measurements for this structural system and conduct rigorous comparisons across numerous innovative market solutions. We take into account key project criteria such as acoustic performance, budget, thickness, weight, and even design, as different acoustic solutions can also influence the choice of floor coverings.

Grounded in a scientific approach and conducted in controlled environments with FPInnovations, this research aims to evaluate various acoustic configurations optimized for mass timber construction. By combining technical expertise, innovation, and in-depth analysis, we provide architects, engineers, and developers with high-performance solutions that meet and exceed the industry standards.

Canada’s Wood Industry Welcomes New Build Canada Homes Agency to Drive Rapidly Deployable Housing

September 15, 2025, Ottawa, ON: The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) welcomes the federal government’s launch of the Build Canada Homes (BCH) agency, announced yesterday by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Backed by a robust $13 billion investment and a plan to allocate federally owned lands for development, BCH will fast-track the delivery of affordable, sustainable housing nationwide.

“This commitment to factory-built housing and prefabricated building components, including both mass timber and light wood frame systems, directly supports the architects, engineers, and builders we work with every day. It enables them to rapidly deploy quality homes at scale, while meeting Canada’s sustainability and affordability goals,” said Rick Jeffery, President and CEO of CWC.

“We’re especially encouraged by BCH’s plan to adopt a ‘Buy Canadian’ policy and streamline permitting for bulk projects.”

BCH’s first projects will be launched in Dartmouth, Longueuil, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Edmonton, with construction expected to begin next year. The agency will also work with the Nunavut Housing Corporation to deliver 700 homes, 30% of which will be built off-site and transported to Nunavut.

In advance of this announcement, the Canadian Wood Council (CWC) with Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) submitted recommendations to the BCH Market Sounding Guide highlighting how wood-based modern methods of construction (MMC)—including mass timber, light wood frame, and modular systems—can reduce build times by up to 50%, cut carbon emissions by 30–60%, and lower long-term operating costs.

The CWC and FPAC urges BCH to implement key recommendations from its submission, including:

  • Loan guarantees and concessional financing for factory expansion.
  • A national “one-window” approval system for factory-built housing.
  • A Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DfMA) pattern library.
  • Indigenous equity and workforce development tied to housing pipelines.

 

The CWC stands ready to champion this effort and ensure design and construction professionals have the information and support they need to rapidly deploy the sustainable, affordable homes Canadians need.

–30–

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is a leading force in advancing building codes and standards for wood construction, ensuring market access for Canadian wood products, and accelerating the adoption of sustainable, wood-based construction solutions in the marketplace. As a national federation of associations, the CWC serves as the unifying voice for our members, who represent hundreds of manufacturers across the country.

Quiet by Design
Wood Design & Building Magazine, vol 24, issue 99
Mass Timber Industrial Buildings and Warehouses
Emerging Solutions for Mass Timber in Healthcare 
Mass Timber Business Case Studies
Webinar: Emerging Solutions for Mass Timber in Healthcare
Canadian Wood Council’s WoodWorks Program Welcomes Rothoblaas Canada as National Partner
Canadian Wood Council’s WoodWorks Program Welcomes Nordic Structures as National Partner
Canadian Wood and Forestry Resources
Canada’s Wood Industry Welcomes New Build Canada Homes Agency to Drive Rapidly Deployable Housing
Toronto, ON – December 3, 2025  - The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) welcomes the Ontario government’s launch of the Advanced Wood Construction Working Group, a strategic...
Course Overview Join us for Quiet by Design, an in-depth course exploring how to achieve consistent, high-performing acoustics in mass timber projects. In partnership...
As the design and construction industry collectively strives towards a more sustainable built environment, one of the more interesting challenges in architecture today is how...
Course Overview The emerging use of mass timber in industrial buildings presents promising opportunities that are shaping the future of construction in this sector. As a...
Resource Description Healthcare buildings are among the most complex and resource-intensive structures we design and, increasingly, they are being asked to do more. Modern...
This document presents a series of business case studies that explore the financial performance of mass timber projects, providing quantitative data and qualitative insights...
Ottawa, Ontario – October 16, 2025 — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is pleased to welcome Rothoblaas Canada as a new national partner of its WoodWorks program. This...
Ottawa, Ontario – October 14, 2025 — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is pleased to welcome Nordic Structures as a new national partner of its WoodWorks program. A...
In a context where wood construction is gaining momentum, acoustics remains a key challenge in ensuring occupant comfort and compliance with standards. With this in mind...
National Provincial Canadian Wood Council WoodWorks Forest Products Association of Canada Certification Canada Mass timber road map Natural Sciences and Engineering Research...
September 15, 2025, Ottawa, ON: The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) welcomes the federal government’s launch of the Build Canada Homes (BCH) agency, announced yesterday by...

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