Course Overview

Canadian Nuclear Labs’ Chalk River Laboratories comprise the largest single complex in Canada’s science and technology community. The site contains more than 50 unique facilities and laboratories including a three new buildings constructed with mass timber.

These three buildings are the focus of a detailed environmental impact study. This webinar will offer a case study of the three buildings and share the results of the environmental impact study. Topics covered by the presentation include:
-Why Wood? (drivers that led CNL to chose mass timber)
-Carbon Impact (operational, embodied, sequestered, avoided, and a life cycle assessment)
-Procurement (Integrated Project Delivery Method)
-Building Performance (construction elements, energy performance, envelope performance, fire performance, durability, resiliency, and potential for adaptive reuse)
-Code Requirements (regulatory approvals, permit process)

The projects are considered successful examples of sustainable procurement aligning with the ‘greening government’ strategy which supports the Government’s commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, and includes a 40% reduction by 2025 for federal facilities.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the strategic importance of using mass timber construction at CNL and its alignment with sustainability goals, including carbon reduction and the promotion of sustainable building practices.
2. Analyze the logistical and engineering challenges associated with implementing mass timber in a large-scale infrastructure project.
3. Evaluate the benefits of mass timber in the context of operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact.
4. Discuss the implications of mass timber construction for future building projects in terms of regulatory compliance, market trends, and technological advancements.

Course Video

Speaker Bio

Donald Chong, OAA, MRAIC, B.Arch
Design Principal, Associate Vice President
HDR

Don has firmly established himself in Toronto’s architecture culture through his inventiveness and investment in placemaking. His project skills volley between the strategic planning of urban and institutional work through to the detailing of finely crafted furniture, as well as research-based design. Don has held numerous design conference speaking engagements, from the Wood at Work Conference to the Architectural League of New York, and has been featured in print publications, such as Design Lines, related to mass timber design.

Susan Croswell, OAA, MRAIC
Project Delivery Principal
HDR

Susan is a project architect with over 27 years of diversified experience. Her expertise in both architectural design and technology allows her to excel in the profession from concept design through to contract administration. Susan’s ability to deliver complex projects and documentation on time is a hallmark of her work and is achieved through effective leadership and teamwork. She has developed a reputation as a highly competent, efficient, effective and approachable project architect who loves the challenges that each and every project brings to the team. Some of her recent, award-winning projects include the CNL Chalk River Laboratories “New Builds,” Queen’s University John Deutsch University Centre, and Kingston Frontenac Public Library.

Ryan Zizzo, PEng, MASc, LEED AP ND
Founder & CEO
Mantle Developments

Ryan Zizzo is a professional engineer and Founder & CEO at Mantle Developments, a consultancy focused on climate-smart infrastructure and buildings, based in Toronto. Mantle helps projects go beyond energy efficiency, incorporating resilience, embodied carbon emissions, and life cycle approaches to make projects future-proof and net-zero carbon ready. Ryan is a recognized leader in helping large organizations and governments transition to a low-carbon future. He has directly supported the Government of Canada, several provincial Ministries, the City of Toronto, the YMCA of Greater Toronto, and numerous developers, property managers, and real estate investors.

Course Overview

WoodWorks Ontario proudly presents Delivering Mid-Rise Housing Solutions Part 2: Mass Timber.

YWKW is a supportive housing project that obtained funding from the Federal Rapid Housing Initiative in Kitchener. This project optimized mass timber design that resulted in time and cost savings during construction. We will hear from the perspective of Element 5, Edge Architects, RDH and Melloul Blamey. They will discuss how important preconstruction planning is and getting all parties involved early. Each role will discuss their roles that lead to a quick and successful project.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the application and benefits of prefabricated mass timber construction in mid-rise housing developments – speed up construction processes and address housing crises.
2. Analyze the project management and logistical challenges involved in executing mid-rise housing projects with prefabricated materials.
3. Evaluate the environmental impact and sustainability benefits of using mass timber in residential construction.
4. Discuss the implications of using prefabricated mass timber on the regulatory and approval processes in construction projects.

Course Video

Speaker Bio

Patrick Chouinard
Founder and VP of Market Strategy & Corporate Communications
Element5

Patrick Chouinard is the Founder and VP of Market Strategy & Corporate Communications at Element5, the newest and most technologically advanced CLT and glulam manufacturer in North America, and the only CLT producer in Ontario. Patrick’s specialty lies in his ability to orchestrate mass timber solutions together with a consortium of the industry’s best service providers with experience in mass timber. He is the driving force behind a rapidly growing company that not only manufactures mass timber components, but also provides a complete range of services to successfully execute timber construction projects on a large scale.

Patrick believes mass timber is the essential building material of the 21st century and Element5 is proud to manufacture their products from sustainably managed local sources. Patrick is a passionate advocate for construction industry transformation and believes that prefabricated mass timber construction is the key to the significant gains in construction efficiency and building performance that we need to meet our significant housing and infrastructure needs in a sustainable way that contributes to a low carbon future.

Matt Bolen, BAS, M.Arch, OAA, MRAIC, CPHD
Founding Partner
Edge Architects

Matt Bolen is one of the founding partners of Edge Architects in Waterloo, Ontario. Edge’s portfolio encompasses a wide range of project types for a diverse client base. In addition to providing professional consulting services, the firm has been involved in several innovative research and development initiatives.

Matt’s area of expertise is multi-residential building design with a specific focus on mid-rise (the missing middle) and attainable housing models. His professional interests include modular/ prefabrication, mass timber construction, and high-performance/ energy efficient design. In addition to being a Licenced Architect with the Ontario Association of Architects, Matt is a Certified Passive House Designer and has prior experience as both an energy auditor and small building contractor.

Further to his role as a principal at Edge, Matt is a lecturer at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture for the graduate level Architectural Professional Practice course. Matt is himself a graduate of Waterloo Architecture where his master’s thesis was focused on urban revitalization of mid-sized cities using Kitchener-Waterloo as a case study city.

Jeffrey B. Shantz
Partner
Melloul-Blamey Construction Inc.

Jeff Shantz is a partner of the general contracting firm, Melloul-Blamey Construction based out of Waterloo, Ontario. The firm was founded in 1982 and is active in Public Bid, Design Build, Construction Management and Property Development. Jeff manages Project Development at the firm and oversees projects from concept to completion. He leads the feasibility process along with project cost, constructability and material selection for all major projects undertaken. Jeff started with the company in 1993 and quickly took charge of the Design Build operations and became a partner in 2001. He achieved CCA Gold Seal Certification in Project Management in 2006, past Chair of the Board at the Grand Valley Construction Association in Southern Ontario and past member of the General Contractor National Advisory Council at the CCA. In addition to his role at Melloul-Blamey Jeff also serves as Vice President at HIP Developments, a company created to utilize the expertise of the Construction Company and develop exciting multi-residential projects throughout southern Ontario. Utilizing the same skill set that resulted in many award winning projects at Melloul-Blamey, he has been able to guide new developments at HIP to the same high standards and project success.

Jonathan Smegal
Senior Project Manager
RDH Building Science Inc.

Jonathan Smegal is Based in Waterloo, and is an important part of the Building Science Laboratories team. He regularly leads laboratory research, forensic analysis of building failures, hygrothermal modeling, and field monitoring of building enclosure performance.

A trusted resource, Jonathan has managed more than a dozen full-scale field tests of wall and roof performance in various locations throughout North America. He has also been involved with numerous new construction site audits for residential and commercial construction, from the design phase through to the final walk-through. Jonathan enjoys the challenges of working on the design and investigations of buildings with unique interior conditions such as swimming pools, ice rinks, secure greenhouses, and music stores all over North America.