Searching for: wood

Searching results for “wood”

All Articles News Courses Events Publications

326 results found...

Sort By

Commercial Buildings, CWC, Fire Safety, Insurance

Fire Safety and Insurance In Commercial Buildings

Throughout history, protecting commercial structures from fire has been important. Fire poses risk in terms of safety to occupants, building integrity, business interruption and the economic health of a community. Consequently, reduction in the risk of fire for commercial buildings has been a significant goal for society, achieved through a better understanding of all the factors that contribute to fire risk. Designing and building structures in compliance with building and fire code requirements, and insurance industry guidelines, contributes to the reduction of fire losses. Wood has had a long history of use in commercial construction. Some of the reasons for this are:

high strength-to-weight ratio,

ease of use and constructability,

known performance characteristics,

resource abundance and renewability,

economy in construction, and

architectural aesthetics.

Wood construction that makes use of good design and appropriate fire protection measures provides a level of fire safety that is comparable to other types of construction. This document discusses some of the basic factors that affect fire risk and property insurance rates, as well as some common misconceptions regarding what conditions make commercial buildings fire-safe.

Annual Reports

2024 CWC Annual Report

We are pleased to share the Canadian Wood Council’s 2024 Annual Report, offering a clear view of the progress, resilience, and impact achieved over the past year.

In his message, Chairman Kevin Pankratz reflects on the Council’s strategic leadership during a year marked by economic pressures and shifting market conditions. Emphasis is placed on the value of collaboration, strong governance, and industry alignment as essential to maintaining momentum and ensuring long-term competitiveness. The report reinforces the importance of maintaining a united voice across our membership and fostering clarity in our purpose as a national federation.

From the President & CEO’s perspective, Rick Jeffery outlines how the organization navigated 2024 with focus and adaptability—delivering trusted technical guidance, growing influence in codes and standards, and expanding national education and outreach efforts. With renewed government investment and increased awareness of low-carbon construction, the Council is well-positioned to lead the next chapter of growth for Canada’s wood sector.

Custom Steel Connections for Mass Timber: Understanding the Basics Step by Step

Course Overview

As mass timber construction continues to grow in popularity, understanding how structural connections work is essential for anyone involved in the design and construction process. This course introduces custom steel hangers as a practical and flexible solution for connecting timber beams and columns, explaining why they are sometimes preferred over off-the-shelf options. Using clear, visual examples, participants will be guided through how forces travel through a connection, what needs to be checked to ensure safety, and how factors like fire performance and moisture are considered in real projects. No advanced engineering background is required to follow along and gain valuable insight into this important aspect of mass timber design.

Learning Objectives

Explain the difference between predesigned and custom steel hangers, and describe situations where a custom connection offers practical advantages in mass timber construction.
Describe in plain terms how structural loads travel through a steel hanger assembly, from the supported beam through to the primary supporting member.
Recognize why eccentricity occurs in hanger connections and understand, at a conceptual level, how it affects the design of the surrounding structure.
Identify key real-world considerations for custom steel connections in mass timber, including fire protection strategies and the importance of accounting for wood shrinkage.

Course Video

https://vimeo.com/1183860319

Speakers Bio

Patrick Geers
Senior Structural Designer & Head of Quality Control
Western Archrib

Patrick Geers brings over 24 years of expertise in mass timber engineering to his role at Western Archrib, where he leads the design of innovative structural systems and maintains the company’s exceptional quality standards. A passionate carpenter with degrees from both Canadian and German institutions, Patrick combines hands-on craftsmanship with advanced engineering knowledge. His international career spans positions in Austria and Germany, providing him with unique cross-cultural perspectives on structural design and community-centered architecture. Patrick currently serves on multiple technical committees including the CSA 086 Committee for Wood Design Standards and acts as an industry advisor to the ARTS group at the University of Alberta. His work focuses on creating sustainable structures that navigate challenging environments while connecting communities. Through his leadership in both technical innovation and quality assurance, Patrick continues to advance the possibilities of mass timber construction for buildings that serve as community anchors and exemplars of sustainable design.

Cours Connections

Aperçu du cours

Le cours Connections fournit une introduction au programme Connections, du logiciel-WoodWorks, un outil conçu pour aider les ingénieurs et les concepteurs à créer et à évaluer les assemblages en bois. Ce cours couvre la conception de nouve aux assemblages utilisant des boulons, des clous, des rivets ou des plaques de cisaillement et explique comment évaluer leur capacité. Vous comprendrez les fonctionnalités du programme, son application dans des scénarios réels et les meilleures pratiques pour optimiser les assemblages en bois.

Résultats de l’apprentissage du cours

A la fin de ce cours, vous serez capable de :

Concevoir et analyser des assemblages en bois à l’aide du programme Connections, en incorporant des boulons, des clous, des rivets et des étriers.
Évaluer la capacité de l’assemblage et la conformité aux normes industrielles en interprétant les résultats générés par le programme.
Optimiser la conception des assemblages en bois en appliquant les meilleures pratiques et en modifiant les configurations existantes pour améliorer les performances structurelles.

Structure du cours

Ce cours est composé de deus (2) leçons. Chaque leçon comprend une introduction, les objectifs d’apprentissage, des vidéos pédagogiques, des questions d’évaluation et un devoir. Ces éléments vous permettront d’acquérir une expérience pratique dans l’utilisation du programme Connections pour des applications réelles.

Une fois que vous aurez répondu à toutes les questions d’évaluation et que vous aurez remis tous les devoirs, un certificat d’achèvement vous sera remis numériquement.

Délai d’exécution

Ce cours est composé de deux vidéos d’une durée totale de 8 minutes.

Pour compléter les évaluations de ce cours, vous pouvez vous attendre à passer ~ 20 minutes.

Téléchargement du programme

Pour suivre ce cours, vous devez télécharger une version d’essai du logiciel Connections WoodWorks.

Suivez les étapes suivantes pour télécharger le logiciel :

Accédez à la page de téléchargement du logiciel en cliquant ici.
Cliquez sur le bouton « Télécharger maintenant » pour le logiciel Connections.
Localisez et cliquez sur le téléchargement dans votre navigateur ou sur votre ordinateur.
Suivez les instructions de votre ordinateur pour terminer l’installation.

*Remarque : la version d’essai du logiciel n’est valable que pendant 10 jours à compter de l’installation.

Academic Buildings, Woodworks

Laurentian University McEwen School of Architecture – Sudbury, ON

Located in Sudbury, Ontario, Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture is the first new school of architecture to be built in Canada in 40 years. Its mandate is to provide a uniquely integrated, uniquely focused education to Indigenous, Anglophone, and Francophone students. It is the only school of architecture outside of Québec to offer French-language studio courses, and the first to include offices for Indigenous Elders, who play a central role in the school. The curriculum addresses resilient architecture and fabrication techniques for northern latitudes, with an emphasis on Indigenous culture, wood construction, local ecologies and resources, and design for the impact of climate change. The school is a didactic instrument with structural and HVAC design elements purposefully exposed in each of the various buildings. The multi-phase development of the McEwen school began with the adaptive reuse of the site’s two existing heritage structures. The two storey CPR ticket and telegraph building (circa 1914) became faculty offices and a boardroom, and the single-storey market building became a temporary studio before ultimately transforming into the fabrication laboratory once the new studio spaces were constructed. Phase two of the project included the construction of a 36,480 ft2 steel-and-concrete Studio Wing, and the new 15,670 ft2 CLT Library Wing which is the focus of this case study. By combining the two repurposed heritage buildings with 52,150 ft2 of new construction, the McEwen School of Architecture demonstrates the properties of wood, steel, concrete, and masonry construction, and illustrates to students the structural potential and aesthetic qualities of each.

Residential Buildings, Woodworks

Templar Flats – Hamilton, ON

Templar Flats in Hamilton, Ontario, has the distinction of being the first occupied, modern wood-frame mid-rise building completed in Ontario. It was constructed under provisions (O. Reg. 191.14) added to the province’s Building Code (2012 OBC) that permit wood-frame construction up to 6 storeys, an increase of two storeys over the previous iteration of the code. The 6-storey, mixed-use project offers 25 modern residential units above three street-level restaurants in the city’s downtown core. The City of Hamilton is committed to revitalizing the downtown and developments on King William Street, including Templar Flats, have benefited from infrastructure improvements in the area. Templar Flats brings together the best of the old and new in an innovative, hybrid solution that puts a modern 6-storey building with glass penthouses between two thoughtfully restored heritage buildings that were adapted into a single, unified development.

Academic Buildings, Seismic Studies, Woodworks

Seismic Design with Wood: Solutions for British Columbia Schools

Although seismic events occur all over the world, the areas most susceptible to large earthquakes are those that lie along active fault lines. These fault lines are found at the boundaries of the Earth’s tectonic plates, including the so-called ‘Ring of Fire’ (Figure 1.1) that encircles the Pacific Ocean. The Ring passes through British Columbia, as well as other active earthquake zones such as Japan, New Zealand, Chile, California and Alaska. More sophisticated approaches to the seismic design of buildings have been developed as our understanding of earthquake behaviour has evolved. The experience gained from a succession of major earthquake events has confirmed that well-designed, ductile wood buildings performed well, especially from the standpoint of life safety.

Academic Buildings, CWC

Design Options for Three- and Four Storey Wood School Buildings in British Columbia

As land values continue to rise, particularly in higher-density urban environments, schools with smaller footprints will become increasingly more necessary to satisfy enrollment demands. There are currently a number of planned new school projects throughout British Columbia that anticipate requiring either three-or four-storey buildings, and it is forecasted that the 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, to date there has not been much effort put into the development of viable structural options that would accommodate larger and taller schools constructed primarily with timber materials.

With the above factors in mind, the purpose of this study is to illustrate the range of possible timber construction approaches for school buildings that are up to four storeys in height. Given this emphasis on four-storey construction, this study focuses on the main classroom blocks within a school building, as these portions of the building are the ones that are the most likely to take advantage of an increased number of storeys. While other portions of school buildings, such as gymnasiums, shops, and multi-purpose areas are also strong candidates for wood construction systems, since there are already numerous examples of this type of construction these areas are not emphasized in this report.

Academic Buildings, CWC

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.

CIVE480 Timber Structures 2019

Resource Description

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to wood and timber engineering, covering materials, structural applications, and design principles. Historical and modern timber structures are examined, with practical design examples provided throughout to reinforce key concepts. Students will explore sawn lumber, panel products, and engineered wood products such as glulam, structural composite lumber, and CLT, along with their applications and design considerations. The course also covers lateral load-resisting systems, member design for bending, tension, and compression, as well as connections, fasteners, and fire safety design.

Infrastructure, Woodworks

Edmonton Transit System – LRT Stations

Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, is a fast-growing city with a population of 1,200,000 people in the overall metropolitan area. It boasts comprehensive bus and light-rail transit (LRT) transportation provided by the Edmonton Transit System (ETS). The North LRT line is a 3.3 km extension of the light rail transit system from the Churchill LRT Station in downtown Edmonton to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) (Figure 1). It’s the first segment of a planned LRT expansion to the northwest Edmonton city limits. Light rail service on this line will commence in July 2014 and bring two new LRT stations and one bus transfer station into service. The NAIT LRT Station will have modular, temporary shelters until land use planning for the City Centre Airport lands has been completed. The North LRT line to NAIT is expected to serve 13,200 weekday passengers, with many more expected as the new line is eventually extended to the city limit near St. Albert. Wood was used for both structural and architectural elements for the MacEwan and Kingsway/Royal Alex LRT Stations, and for the Kingsway/Royal Alex Bus Transit Station. Glulam decking and beams were used for the platform and building roofs. In addition, the MacEwan LRT Station has a decorative wood ceiling in the main heated waiting area. The roof structures for both LRT stations are cantilevered from pairs of columns located at the centre of the platforms so that the edges of the platforms are not obstructed.