Tucked away on the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia sits a marvel of innovation in wood construction. It\u2019s called Brock Commons, a student residence tower housing some 400 students.<\/p>\n
Completed in 2017, it looks like any other residential tower save for the distinctive look of blond wood gleaming as the sun hits it. The unassuming building certainly doesn\u2019t give away the fact that it\u2019s a world first \u2014 the first 18-storey building constructed almost entirely out of wood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re quite proud of the results of the project and the lessons that we\u2019ve learned from the project,\u201d said John Metras, UBC \u2018s associate vice president of facilities.<\/p>\n
The building was made possible by innovations over the last decade that allow several pieces of wood to essentially be glued together under pressure to make one super strong piece of wood that can hold more weight than ever before. This new wood product is called mass timber, which is assembled and built in a factory and then brought to the construction site to be assembled like Lego.<\/p>\n
Metras says that model allowed Brock Commons to be built at lightning speed, by construction standards. \u201cThe components really clicked together quite easily so it meant for a really quick construction. We were able to assemble the wood building envelope in 9.5 weeks,\u201d Metras said.<\/p>\n
Architect Michael Green is one of the foremost experts in tall wood building construction. He\u2019s based in Vancouver but his firm is working on projects all over the world and he believes making an old material like wood new again in this way is a game changer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting because to the consumer it means better buildings, more sustainable buildings and more affordable buildings, which are essential things for our world today,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n
Wood is not only faster to build with, particularly in a model where these mass timber pieces are being created in factories and then shipped to the job site, but it\u2019s also more sustainable and in the long run more cost effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout question, wood buildings will be a lot cheaper down the road than steel and concrete for a variety of reasons. One is that steel and concrete are huge energy-using materials and as energy prices continue to rise, those materials are attached to energy prices,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n
He also sees wood as the answer to environmental concerns and believes more and more countries with an environmentally conscious government will turn to building with wood as a sustainable resource.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe forests have the capacity to build our cities for sure,\u201d Green said. \u201cThe North American forest grows enough wood every four minutes to build a 100-foot, eight-storey tall office.\u201d<\/p>\n
But what about safety? For decades people have been conditioned to believe that wood is flammable and therefore not as superior to concrete and steel, particularly for tall buildings. The experts say this just isn\u2019t the case. In fact, wood building may even be safer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s actually a perception by the public that because wood burns, it\u2019s unsafe. But that\u2019s not true,\u201d said Mohammad Mohammad, an engineer and researcher with the federal government\u2019s green construction through wood program.<\/p>\n
\u201cWood can burn, but it burns at a very predictive rate. Any fire protection engineer can actually calculate the charring of the wood and can design the building accordingly to be as safe as any other building and can even meet or exceed the requirements of the building code.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green agrees, adding that it\u2019s the building codes that must change to reflect the fact that tall wood structures are safe and that science supports that. \u201cCodes have to continue to evolve. They need to be based on science, not emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n
That transformation in terms of building codes is happening in Canada already and is allowing Canada to really lead the way in building with wood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot to be proud of \u2014 of the national organizations and the federal government that really championed this conversation not just in Canada but globally,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n
The federal government is also convinced that wood is the answer for more sustainable buildings with a smaller carbon footprint. It is offering $40 million in incentives to build with wood over the next four years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government of Canada believes that increasing the use of wood in construction as a green building material in public buildings and infrastructure projects is going to actually help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support Canada\u2019s efforts to mitigate climate change and achieve its target to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 2030,\u201d Mohammad said.<\/p>\n
So with Canada leading the way in terms of building codes, design and funding for future projects, the cities of the future could well feature the distinctive look of wood amid the towering glass and steel buildings already doting Canadian skylines.<\/p>\n