Next-Generation Wood Construction

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With the introduction of a new generation of high-performance engineered wood products and changes in regulatory restrictions for wood construction, the use of wood in tall and large buildings has been attracting growing interest from designers, builders, owners, and regulators. This interest has the potential to translate to tremendous economic growth opportunities for the Canadian wood industry, one of the major pillars of the Canadian economy. However, there is a consensus within the wood industry and among the concerned government agencies that such economic opportunities cannot be realized unless systematic efforts are made to address a number of technical and non-technical challenges. Among the key challenges identified are gaps in design methodologies and performance data for the next generation of wood buildings, the need to adopt advanced construction engineering tools in order to attain the benefits of wood construction, inadequate quantification of environmental impacts of wood construction, and a lack of highly qualified personnel (HQP) to meet the needs of this expanded use of wood. The proposed research program has been developed based on extensive consultation with the wood industry, government agencies, and the construction sector, and is designed to address the aforementioned challenges in a holistic and systematic manner. The research program is multi-disciplinary in nature and encompasses a broad range of topics, including structural safety, serviceability, fire safety, energy efficiency, durability and sustainability of wood buildings, as well as the application of advanced construction technologies. The research activities will be conducted by over 50 HQP trainees who will be supervised by a team of experts consisting of 31 faculty members from 14 Canadian universities and another 20 scientists and professionals from 12 government and industry partners. In addition to the socio-economic benefits to Canada, the increased use of wood products in construction will also lead to environmental benefits through the reduction in GHG emissions from the construction sector.