P.E.I. developers urged to build with wood
Wood's environmental, economic and performance benefits being touted by lumber producers
Developers in P.E.I. are being encouraged to build the core of their developments out of wood products instead of concrete or steel.
It's called mass timber design, and it's increasing in popularity in Canada. Mass timber is dimension or composite lumber — small pieces of wood glued together to increase its performance.
"Wood can be used in buildings where wood could not be used before," said Patrick Crabbe, project coordinator with Atlantic WoodWORKS! — a program of the Maritime Lumber Bureau. It aims to get more builders using wood in large projects like multi-residential and non-residential units.
An 18-storey mass timber building was completed on the UBC campus in 2016 — one of the world's tallest wood buildings.
Wood is seen as better for the environment because it is a renewable resource, and there's another benefit — not only do wood buildings create fewer greenhouse gas emissions, they actually store carbon dioxide as well. UBC said the wood used in its building was the equivalent of taking 480 cars off the road for a year.
'Regional and renewable product'
Wood is also cost-competitive, safe and durable, as well as beautiful said Crabbe.
"This is safe, it's very high performing, and ultimately it's a regional and renewable product that can be used cost-effectively in your building," Crabbe said.
There are challenges — few people are trained to use wood or mass timber, Crabbe said. His group is currently developing curriculum for colleges and hoping to match up students and companies interested in using mass timber.
Crabbe's group is offering a workshop May 30 in Charlottetown to Island architects and developers, highlighting the benefits of building with mass timber.
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With files from Laura Chapin