Building with Mass Timber Will Make the Two New Vancouver B.C. Schools More Earthquake Resistant

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. The schools are being built in the City of Vancouver, which just happens to lie between fault lines of two tectonic plates, making it vulnerable to catastrophic earthquakes. In fact, there are thousands of small tremors recorded every year in B.C. According to the announcement. B.C. has a strategy for upgrading their schools to protect them from seismic events. The two schools will serve as a pilot projects for other schools to be made out of mass timber. Mass timber is a product made of thick, compressed layers of wood struck together to crate structural load-bearing elements that are as strong as concrete and steel but significantly lighter. Why mass timber? First of all, it supports Canada’s forestry sector and promotes innovation and manufacturing. It is also said to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the case of the two new schools, it is estimated the total carbon benefit of using mass timber as the primary building material will be about 1,400 tons of carbon dioxide or the equivalent of taking hundreds of cars off the road.