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Shearwalls Course

Course Overview

The Shearwalls Course introduces learners to the WoodWorks Shearwalls Program, a tool designed for modeling and analyzing wood-frame structures. This course covers the design of complete structures, including walls, roofs, and openings, while ensuring proper load distribution and structural stability.

You will explore the program’s capabilities in generating and distributing seismic and wind loads, optimizing shearwall configurations, and verifying compliance with building codes.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Design and analyze wood-frame shearwalls using the Shearwalls Program, including load distribution for seismic and wind resistance.
Evaluate shearwall performance and compliance with building codes by interpreting program-generated structural analyses.
Optimize shearwall configurations for enhanced structural integrity, adjusting materials and design parameters based on engineering best practices.

Course Structure

This course consists of ten (10) lessons. Each lesson is comprised of a lesson overview, learning outcomes, instructional videos, assessment questions and an assignment. Through these elements, you will gain practical experience in using the Shearwalls Woodworks Program for real-world applications.

Once you have completed all assessment questions and assignment submissions, a certificate of completion will be digitally awarded.

Time for Completion

This course is comprised of 23 videos for a total run time of 115 minutes.

To complete the assessments in this course you can expect to spend ~ 2 hours.

Program Download

In order to complete this course you will need to download a trial version of the Shearwalls Program.

Complete these steps to download the program

Navigate to the program download page by clicking here.
Scroll down to the Shearwalls section
Click on the “Download Now” button for the Shearwalls Program.
Locate and click on the download either in your browser or on your computer.
Follow the prompts provided by your computer to complete installation.

*Note: the trial version of the program is only valid for 10 days upon installation.

Civic Buildings, Woodworks

Rock Community Church – Planned for Growth

Rock Community Church is located in Woodbridge, Ontario, directly north of Toronto. Several years ago, the congregation bought a large, wooded property and used an existing residence and outbuildings for their needs while funding was acquired and design was developed for a permanent facility. Designed to incorporate a detailed list of user requirements, the new building was ready for occupancy in October 2007. There are two particularly noteworthy features of this building. One is the way it was designed to suit the site and second is the modular design that will allow the building to expand as the size of the congregation grows. The Rock Community Church design carefully uses structural and decorative wood products to blend with a beautiful natural setting and to provide architectural appeal and acoustical performance inside. The 2.2-hectare (5.4 acre) site (Figure 1) falls within the Woodbridge conservation area. To respect the natural setting, the design focused on creating an environmentally-friendly building site that would harmonize with its surroundings. All site elements, including the building and the parking lot, were carefully located to save existing trees and fit the site topography. The neighbouring deciduous trees provide shading from summer sun and allow the entry of winter solar heat through the floor-to-ceiling glazing in the altar area of the sanctuary.

CWC, Wood Decks

Residential Prescriptive Exterior Wood Deck Span Guide

The intent of this document is to provide guidance on joist spans, built-up beam sizes, and supporting column sizes for exterior wood decks. The following items which are typically included in an exterior wood deck are not addressed and are beyond the scope of this document: deck footings; deck railings and guards; attachment of the deck to houses; lateral bracing of a deck. Design tables are provided for lumber which is not incised (Tables 2a, 2b, 4a, 4b, 6a and 6b) and lumber which is incised (Tables 3a, 3b, 5a, 5b, 7a and 7b). Tables are provided in both metric and imperial units.

CWC, Fire Safety

Fire Safety Design In Buildings

In a recent survey of building specifiers, the majority perceived wood to be the most environmentally friendly building material. Compared to other major building materials, this is due mainly to:

the renewability of wood
the low energy consumption required for production
the low levels of pollutant emission during manufacture

Lately, environmental considerations have acquired more importance in the specification of materials. Technical and economic aspects of building materials have always been primary considerations for specifiers. Increasingly, however, they are considering the environmental effects when selecting appropriate building materials for their designs.

Architects, engineers and designers require accurate information to assess the true environmental consequences of the materials they specify.

The environmental impacts of various building materials have been examined by a Canadian Research Alliance using the internationally accepted method called Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA). The Alliance consists of researchers from the wood, steel and concrete industries as well as university groups and consultants.

Mid-Rise Buildings, Woodworks

Ontario Mid-Rise Reference Guide

On September 23, 2014, after many years of research, development, stakeholder feedback and discussion, the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced amendments to the 2012 Ontario Building Code (OBC) that permit 5- and 6-storey combustible construction for Group C and D occupancies. e amendments to the OBC increase opportunities for designers and builders to create versatile and affordable new buildings. The changes recognize the advancements in wood products and systems as well as in fire detection, suppression, and containment systems.

Densification is mandated in almost all municipal growth plans in the province. Mixed-use mid-rise buildings are seen as an important solution that will help create higher density and attract businesses and families to urban centres. Previous code restrictions on combustible construction made non-combustible solutions the only option for mid-rise development and many potential developments were stalled because they were deemed cost-prohibitive. Developers now have a new, cost effective option to provide mid-rise solutions.

Decisions about how and where we build our communities have significant impacts on the natural environment and on human health. Wood is a natural, sustainable material and the processing of raw material into building materials has a lower environmental impact when compared to other major building components. e use of sustainable materials and components reduces the negative impact our buildings have on the environment and assists in mitigating climate change. The amendments to the OBC have created exciting new opportunities but there are also new design and construction challenges to consider. Ontario Wood WORKS! developed this guide to explain the new provisions in the OBC and to discuss the opportunities as well as the challenges.

Insuring Timber Buildings: Best Practices for the Best Rates!

Course Overview

Recent code changes and advancements in timber products are allowing for larger and more complex buildings to be built in timber. These multi storey, complex buildings are comparable to steel and concrete in strength and durability and conform to all building codes. Although a relatively small portion of the overall project budget, the course of construction insurance for these projects tend to be much higher than the non-combustible alternative. This presentation will walk the attendee through the nuances of the insurance industry, and highlight the research that has taken place over the last 3 years to lower these rates. We will debunk many of the myths associated with timber construction that serve as roadblocks to desirable insurance rates. The best practices we will examine in this presentation could be instrumental in helping achieve a safe and insurable construction site.

Learning Objectives

Understand the insurance industry’s methods of assessing construction risk.
Identify the major risk factors associated with timber construction.
Identify construction site best practices.
Be prepared to submit a comprehensive package to apply for insurance.

Course Video

https://vimeo.com/1046526760

Speaker Bio

Timothy Buhler, BBA
Technical Manager
Canadian Wood Council

Born and raised in Northern Ontario, Tim is very aware of the importance of the forestry industry to Canadians.

Tim graduated from Nipissing University in 2006 and shortly after joined the Canadian Wood Council. Tim’s keen interest in sustainable construction and curbing climate change led him to pursue the role of technical manager within the Wood WORKS! Program. Over the last 14 years Tim’s experience and education has taken him across North America and Europe where he has engaged and learned from a variety of leading experts in the field. Tim has worked closely with industry and the design community to become a resource for all things related to timber construction.

As a technical manager with the Ontario team Tim continues to work diligently to promote timber construction has assisted with over 100 projects in Ontario ranging in size in scope from 1 to 35 (theoretical) stories.

CWC, Shearwalls

A Mechanics-Based Approach for Determining Deflections of Stacked Multi-Storey Wood-Based Shearwalls

The 2009 edition of CSA Standard O86, Engineering Design in Wood (CSA 2009), provides an equation for determining the deflection of shear walls. It is important to note that this equation only works for a single-storey shear wall with load applied at the top of the wall. While the equation captures the shear and flexural deformations of the shear wall, it does not account for moment at the top of the wall and the cumulative effect due to rotation at the bottom of the wall, which would be expected in a multi-storey structure. In this fact sheet, a mechanics-based method for calculating deflection of a multi-storey wood-based shear wall is presented.

CWC, Shearwalls

Design of Stacked Multi-Storey Wood Shearwalls Using A Mechanics Based Approach

This document is a Design example of Stacked Multi-Storey Wood Shearwalls Using A Mechanics Based Approach. It shows a floor plan and elevation along with the preliminary shear wall locations for a six=storey wood-frame building. It is assumed some preliminary calculations have been provided to determine the approximate length of wall required to resist the lateral seismic loads.

Considerations in the Design & Prefabrication of Mass Timber Buildings for Architects

Resource Description

This resource is intended to provide educators with a clear framework for teaching the principles of mass timber design and prefabrication. The content is organized into four modules that highlight foundational knowledge, technical design considerations, early construction strategies, and sustainability. Together, these modules support students in developing a holistic understanding of how mass timber projects are conceived, designed, and delivered.

Module 1 – Introduction & Project Planning Provides an overview of mass timber, highlights the advantages of prefabrication, and outlines key early-stage considerations for optimizing design.
Module 2 – Design Optimization Considerations Explores critical aspects of design including structural performance, fire protection, acoustics, and vibration.
Module 3 – Early Construction Strategies Focuses on Building Information Modeling (BIM), Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), systems integration, and best practices for building envelope and moisture management.
Module 4 – Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Examines the importance of carbon accounting, introduces available LCA tools, and discusses broader sustainability and biophilia considerations.

Acknowledgments

Canadian Wood Council

Usage and Citation Guidelines

These teaching materials were developed by university professors with funding support from the Canadian Wood Council. The content is provided free of charge for teaching and educational purposes only. Any commercial use, redistribution, or modification outside of academic teaching is strictly prohibited.

When using these resources in any context that requires citation, please use the format below.

Author(s). (Year). Title of module [Teaching Module]. Funded and published by the Canadian Wood Council.