Continuing with its educational and training objectives, Canadian Wood conducted another successful webinar titled ‘Developments in mass timber architecture – Canadian perspective’. Canadian Architect and industry stalwart Derek Newby was invited specially to deliver this webinar.
Canadian Wood – a brand of Forestry Innovation Consulting India Pvt. Ltd. (FII India) continues its fruitful engagement with Architects, Developers, Contractors, and Hospitality Industry Professionals. These engagements focus on various topics related to recent trends in building with wood, best practices, sustainability & certification, and others.
Ar. Derek Newby expanding on his presentation.
The Webinar Proceedings
The webinar began with specific references to the benefits of building mass timber structures such as wood’s eco-friendly nature, ability to reduce emissions, the fast-paced building process, cost comparatives, and so on.
As the session progressed, Ar. Newby introduced the attendees to a deep dive on various engineered wood products like cross-laminated timber, glue-laminated timber, mass plywood panel, nail laminated timber, dowel laminated timber, and others. He also elaborated on the link between prefabrication and modular techniques that can help optimize the process in mass timber construction projects. Information on timber composites was also provided.
The highlights of the presentation were architectural case studies and projects in mass timber from Canada. He also discussed the misconceptions related to various aspects of building with wood such as durability, fire safety, seismic performance, insect/mold/moisture, and acoustics.
Watch the webinar here:
The Architect’s Take on Mass Timber Architecture
Talking about the webinar, Ar. Derek Newby said, “Mass Timber Architecture is an emerging trend in building construction in many parts of the world today. Advancements in wood product technology and processing systems are driving the momentum for innovative buildings in Canada. Introducing it to the Indian audience on a Canadian Wood platform was a great experience. I am grateful that the audience took such deep interest and participated actively in the event.”
Further, referring to the advantages of building with wood he said, “Construction for mass timber projects is more a process of assembly on-site as parts are in a highly prefabricated condition. Prefabrication saves time, requires less labor and the site is clean. Sometimes foundations are reduced because the material is lighter. All this is possible with detailed preparation and construction knowledge of those in the industry.”
A timber architectural project in Canada
Comments From Canadian Wood
Speaking about the webinar, Mr. Peter Bradfield – Technical Advisor at Canadian Wood said, “It was an honor to have an international stalwart of timber architecture join us in our efforts in India to share relevant category-defining knowledge.
Canadian Wood has always been committed to providing and promoting conversations that encourage the choice of sustainably sourced timber. While mass timber architecture is at its nascent stage in India, Canadian Wood is well equipped with the required technical expertise necessary to support such ventures from initiation to execution of the project.”
While questioned about the cost of building with wood he added, “There is a perception of higher cost, and while this may be true at times, the reality is when we optimize the design and account for the benefits, including rapid build time, wood as an option is often more competitive than it is understood to be.”
Q&A Session With Ar.Derek Newby, Mr.Peter Bradfield & Ms.Nirmala Thomas (Canadian Wood)
The webinar concluded with an insightful Q&A session amongst Ar. Newby, experts from Canadian Wood, and the well-informed audience. The queries of the enthusiastic audience clearly demonstrate the curiosity to explore the use of wood in structural applications be.
About Ar. Derek Newby
Ar. Derek Newby has a rich experience in mixed-use, office, and academic facilities, working effectively with private and public-sector clients. A LEED accredited professional and a Certified Passive House Designer, he is a vocal advocate for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in buildings, both through the application of Passive House principles to reduce operating emissions and through the use of timber to address embodied emissions.
He is also a member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and has served on a number of Municipal Advisory Design Panels and has advised governments on timber in architecture.
About FII India
Forestry Innovation Consulting India Pvt. Ltd. (FII India), popularly known as ‘Canadian Wood’ has been actively promoting building with wood in India. They endorse the use of wood legally sourced from the sustainably managed forests of B.C., Canada.
In the case of structural applications of wood, it works closely with Architects, Developers, Contractors, and Hospitality Industry while extending technical support. They do so by suggesting species and grades most suitable to the type of construction chosen or preferred. For example, T&G (Tongue & Groove), WFC (Wood Frame Construction), posts-and-beams, or even hybrid in tandem with local stone/bricks.
FII is a crown agency of the government of British Columbia (B.C.), the westernmost province of Canada. Its mandate is to promote wood products from B.C. Canada in the offshore markets. Also, position it as a global supplier of quality, environmentally-responsible wood products from sustainably managed forests.
Their aim is to spread education through information on the wide variety of timber products available from B.C. Canada. Its brand/logo Canadian Wood was established in 2013 to reach out to and facilitate the understanding of its activities to its target audience.
It conducts educational seminars and training workshops that help create awareness. Attendees gain knowledge about its wood species (Western hemlock, S-P-F, Douglas-Fir, Yellow cedar, Western red cedar), specific applications, and appropriate methods of use.
Canadian Wood webinar series: The building materials industry has a collective responsibility to adopt certified, sustainably sourced lumber
FII India, better known as ‘Canadian Wood’ is a crown agency of the government…