British Columbia’s tall wood initiative, which permits mass timber residential and commercial development up to 12 stories, is expanding with 21 communities now participating. The City of New Westminster is the latest to join the growing list of B.C. municipalities.
News in offsite construction
Colorado Based Timber Age Systems Inc. Expands Manufacturing of Recycled Low-Cost Wood Building Products
Timber Age Systems Inc., a Durango, Colorado based company that specializes in making cross-laminated timber (CLT) for sustainable building projects, has announced its plans to expand its manufacturing capacity and develop a new facility after receiving a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Program.
Hemp: Next New Option in Building Components
Blain Brownell, FAIA, is an architect and materials researcher. He is also the Director of the School of Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. According to an article published in Architect Magazine, Brownell’s research has helped him identify another building product, which he believes has the potential of revolutionizing and replacing concrete, steel, and even wood in some, not all, structural building components. The fourth building option is Hemp.
World’s Tallest Hybrid Timber Tower Plans Approved
The 39-story Sydney Tower, billed as the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower when it was first unveiled in 2020, has been approved. The Shop Architects and BVN’s $1 billion (A$) will be the new home of Atlassian, the Australian tech company. The tower adjoins Sydney’s Central Station and it is intended to be a linchpin of the state government’s planned technology precinct.
The U.K. Government to Promote the Use of Timber in Low-Rise Construction
The United Kingdom’s government yesterday (10-20-21) released its 368-page “Net Zero Strategy Report.” In the report, the government acknowledges that “felled trees store carbon within them and timber has the lowest carbon of any mainstream building material.” The report goes on to say the UK government would “promote the safe use of timber construction” through several measures.
Intelligent City Opens First Robotically Automated Urban Housing Factory
“We are now the first in the world to use advanced robotics to automatically assemble mass timber building systems that have been tested to meet the latest building code and net zero standards,” Intelligent City Co-Founder Oliver Lang says. The company is currently working on project totaling 2880 homes in Canada and 1400 homes in the U.S., many of which are supported by BC Wood.
Metsä Wood and Partners Design Hybrid Sandwich Wall Element, Combining Concrete with Kerto LVL
Metsä Wood and its partners have developed a hybrid sandwich wall element that they believe will renew offsite construction. The innovation combines concrete with Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber). The lighter weight of the hybrid sandwich wall elements proved to be a valuable benefit.
Supply Chain Issues Open Door for Mass Timber Projects in Canada
According to Patrick Crabbe, who oversees everything from pre-construction to execution for all of Bird Construction’s mass timber projects in Canada, supply chain difficulties have led to extended lead times on commodities such as steel I-joist and pre-engineered building components. These difficulties are creating new opportunities for mass timber products in the construction of low-rise commercial buildings in Canada.
Australia’s La Trobe University Opens New Mass-Timber Student Accommodations
La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia is now home to the mass timber student accommodation scheme created by Australian studio Jackson Clements Burrows. Two sweeping arcs providing accommodation for 642 students hug a central courtyard on the 18,000-square-metre site, which is the first to complete in a new masterplan for the university’s eastern residential precinct.
Mass Timber Metro Station Under Construction in Naples, Italy as Part of a Major Infrastructure Upgrade
EMBT, the Barcelona-based studio, has revealed images of a mass-timber metro station which is currently under construction in the Centro Direzionale area of Naples, Italy. The Naples Underground Central Station is being built in a neighborhood designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange as part of a major upgrade to the city’s infrastructure.