Last month, the openings of three B.C. wood demonstration projects were highlighted by the province’s forest products industry to showcase the material’s building flexibility.

The North Shore Credit Union Environmental Learning Centre, Elkford Community Conference Centre, and the City of North Vancouver Civic Centre Renovation were cited by WoodWorks B.C. as examples to encourage wood design both nationally and internationally.

These projects were chosen to expand use of traditional wood products in non-traditional ways and reveal innovative ideas with the greatest commercial capabilities. In all three cases, mass timber was used to create a more environmentally responsible, lighter, and more easily installable alternative to steel and concrete. Made from engineered wood products, the mass timber assemblies are large wall, floor, or roof sections.

Mary Tracy, WoodWorks B.C. executive director, thinks the innovative uses of mass timber in the three projects demonstrates the material’s possibilities for the future.

“The potential for mass timber moving forward in Canada is huge,” she told Construction Canada Online. “It’s something that has really taken off in Europe in the past 10 years, and due to the increased awareness of the sustainability attributes of building with wood, it will gain momentum here very quickly.”