News in offsite construction

The Province of British Columbia has announced that it is funding 12 mass timber demonstration and research projects and has established a new advisory council to accelerate the adoption of mass timber building systems, as part of the Province’s economic recovery.

The use of mass timber as a building material lowers emissions, promotes innovation, and supports value-added manufacturing. That is why Canada is investing in the use of mass timber in building applications to support Canadian forestry workers with new uses of for wood.

Kelowna B.C. officials have announced that the Kelowna International Airport wills soon be home to the first-ever mass timber aircraft hangar. The two-story structure will be using state-of-the-art floor and tall wall wood-based systems to accommodate the large spacing between columns — a typical design element for a hangar but never done using mass timber building systems.

Segezha Group, which is wholly owned by Sistema, is Russia’s leading wood processing holding company, and it has just started Russia’s first cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels plant in Sokol, Vologda region, 500 km northeast of Moscow.

The $100 million (A$) student accommodation project at La Trobe University, Bundoora campus, in north-east Melbourne Australia has been completed. The project, with 624-beds across two separate six-level buildings, marks the largest single investment in La Trobe University’s 50-year history.

Construction has officially begun on the BullStreet District’s 79,000 sq. ft. WestLawn office building in downtown Columbia South Carolina. The five-story office building was designed by globally renowned architectural firm Perkins and Will in collaboration with Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC.

Södra has announced that it is investing in a new facility that will increase its production capacity of timber frame ten-fold. The new facility is being built at their combined facility in Värö, Sweden, where Södra’s first CLT facility is located.

Working in partnership with the Technical University of Munich, Stora Enso Wood Products has launched a whitepaper showcasing the science behind the health and well-being benefits of building with timber. The in-depth literature review highlights such points as wood’s ability to reduce stress and boost productivity levels.

The first commercial office building made of mass timber in Washington D.C. will be leased to the American Trucking Association (ATA). The 80 M Street project was commissioned by Columbia Property Trust and designed by architecture firm Hickok Cole. The project will add 105,000 square feet and two new floors to an existing seven-story office building at 80 M Street.

The Canadian government has announced that it is investing $1.48 million (CAD) to help in the construction of two schools built with mass timber that will be more resistant to earthquakes. The funding comes from the Department of Natural Resources under a program that encourages the use of wood in innovative construction projects such as tall wood buildings, low-rise nonresidential buildings, and bridges.