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BC outperforms the rest of the Mas Timber building

Opinion: There are more mass timber timber buildings built BC than nearly the entirety of the United States The beginning of the fight against climate change.

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More mass-timbered timber structures were built in BC than in nearly the entire United States. A total of 307 green laminated timber buildings were built in British Columbia, compared to 356 in the United States.

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More mass timber structures (some of which are skyscrapers) are on their way to the state from the large forestry industry, thanks to an initiative three years ago by the British Columbia government.

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“For us in government, this is a three-word score,” joked Ravi Kahlon, BC’s Minister for Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.

The Government’s 2019 Mass Timber Action Plan states, “We support jobs in BC. But we also support BC innovation. And we support a more sustainable and cleaner environment.”

Wooden buildings made of cross-laminated timber, which emits less carbon than traditional concrete and steel buildings, are increasingly being cited by politicians and environmentalists as key to combating climate change.

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But while the green hype about them often outweighs the reality on the ground, the state’s three-year effort has at least launched a number of unique wooden projects through direct public funding or private sector incentives. I was allowed to.

Langford’s tall 12-story Tallwood, Kelowna’s Capstone under construction (9 stories), Vancouver’s planned 2015 Dr. Keith office building (10 stories), and new student housing at BC Institute of Technology (12 floors).

The mid-rise Indigenous Health Authority buildings are also built of mass wood, as are the Salmon Arm supermarket, Prince George’s Design Center and Saanich’s fire station, which Carlon called “the first mass timber post.” – World Disaster Building.

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Instead of continuing to monitor the bulk of B.C.’s timber exports abroad, Carlon said that by encouraging innovation in mass timber, “we will add more value and create more jobs in B.C.” We are doing it,” he said.

Artist rendering of Ballard Exchange, a proposed 16-story office tower for the Bentall Center complex in central Vancouver (handout, courtesy of Hudson Pacific Properties)
Artist rendering of Ballard Exchange, a proposed 16-story office tower for the Bentall Center complex in central Vancouver (handout, courtesy of Hudson Pacific Properties) PNG

“In the past the government has tried to support mass timber, but it has stalled. We have taken a different approach. We are focused on the demand side. , is making the changes that we want to see,” said Kahlon, who is also MLA for Delta North.

“I mean all the student housing we are building, including BCIT, Vernon and Victoria. .”

In addition, the NDP government will grant up to $500,000 each to companies in the private and non-profit sectors to build mass-timber buildings that do not require the large amounts of concrete or highly polluting cement required to manufacture. offers. that.

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Chatham House, a British think tank, says that 4 billion tonnes of cement production annually causes 8% of global carbon emissions. This is well above his 2% in the aviation industry.

According to Carlon, the government’s efforts encourage British Columbia’s “engineering talent, architects and companies” to export their expertise to the world, while also promoting how mass timber buildings can be sustainable and effective. indicates whether it is fire resistant.

British Columbia’s three major companies now produce significant amounts of timber almost entirely from secondary forests in the interior. They are Abbotsford’s StructureCraft Builders, Nelson’s Kallesnikoff, and Penticton’s Structurelam Mass Timber Corp., the latter now partnering with the giant Walmart store chain to build a new headquarters in the United States.

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The carbon sequestration properties of wood offer significant environmental benefits. The Journal of Sustainable Forestry estimates that replacing current construction materials with wood could reduce global carbon emissions by 14-31% annually.

Also, as Kahlon noted, timber buildings are lighter than buildings made mostly of concrete, and mass timber building foundations are less likely to threaten underground water flows. It has proven to be of value in places such as .

Additionally, mass timber makers in B.C. manufacture prefabricated buildings “with Lego-like parts,” including using robots at Intelligent City’s factory in Delta. Reducing everything to offsite size means fewer trucks running through the community, less noise and less waste, he said.

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Mass timber component of the Telus Garden office building made by Structurlam of Penticton.
Mass timber component of the Telus Garden office building made by Structurlam of Penticton. PNG

The BC is also helping to combat the “myth” that mass-timbered buildings are a fire hazard, the minister said. The government recently organized demonstration barns in British Columbia and eastern Canada, inviting fire chiefs, architects, engineers, and ordinances officials to show how the mustin barn works with buildings made of conventional materials. I’ve seen how it compares to

Even though the technique of cross-glued timber has been around for decades, such wood construction is still a niche. The presence of three 18+ storey towers in isolated locations around the world (including UBC) should be set against the hundreds of thousands of existing concrete and steel skyscrapers. More is planned, especially in Vancouver.

But so far, it’s hard to accuse the BC government of trying to stem a concrete juggernaut. It is now possible to build wooden towers of “And there is a department of building code experts who can work with local authorities to get approval.”

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They include a planned 17-story LGBTQ Community Center and Residential Tower at 1190 Burrard in Vancouver in 2024; a 16-story Burrard Exchange Tower planned for 2025; includes a 21-storey “M5 Prototype” apartment complex. , scheduled for 2026.

It’s not a mass timber revolution. But it’s a hopeful evolution.

dtodd@postmedia.com


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BC outperforms the rest of the Mas Timber building

Source link BC outperforms the rest of the Mas Timber building

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