Canada Supports New Wood Construction Technologies in BC

On Thursday, the Canadian government announced over CA$1.5 million in federal support for three projects focusing on the advancement of prefabricated wood construction in British Columbia. These investments are aimed at promoting construction using Canadian wood and driving sustainable innovation in the forestry and construction sectors.

The following projects are receiving support through Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program:

1. British Columbia’s Institute of Technology (BCIT) has been awarded $995,000 to build the two-story Robert Bosa Carpentry Pavillion, a “wood first” mass timber building featuring glulam columns and beams and CLT floor, roof, and wall panels. This zero-carbon, passive house, LEED Gold, and Rick Hansen certified building will serve as an educational hub at BCIT, offering specialized programs in mass timber and hybrid construction, and will contribute to BC’s climate plan.
2. The Prefab Building Initiative will receive $300,000 to create energy-efficient mass timber designs for various types of buildings to help address Canada’s housing shortage and make construction faster and more affordable. This project aims to conduct a design workshop to finalize each building prototype, enabling rapid development of prefabricated buildings across Canada. It will stimulate collaboration between manufacturers on the mass production of multi-unit housing models (hotels, apartment retrofits, seniors’ residences, etc.), which will help address a broad range of housing needs.
3. The Scius Advisory will receive $219,870 to create an online directory of companies across Canada that specialize in building prefabricated parts, which can be assembled off-site and transported to construction sites. This project will develop an interactive map to help builders and policymakers better understand the availability of green construction materials and technologies across the country.

These investments will help drive down construction costs, speed up building timelines, and increase the availability of affordable and sustainable housing. By advancing the use of state-of-the-art Canadian wood products, the federal government is helping to build a better future, creating jobs and supporting the construction industry’s transition toward the innovative green building practices that drive the demand for Canadian forestry products and forestry expertise.