To better understand and increase awareness of the environmental benefits of building with wood, FII completed three additional Life Cycle Assessments and 12 carbon calculations on B.C. buildings.

Canada Wood China is currently working with a precast concrete manufacturer, Truslink, to construct a two-storey, 150m2 demonstration project at the entrance of the company’s factory.

In 2017, BC Wood organized the Canadian pavilion on behalf of the Canadian wood industry at the Housing Brand Fair in Seoul. B.C. companies were able to generate $7 million in sales during the event. 

FII India staff continue to develop marketing material targeting audiences in different regions of India. Advertisements raise the profile of Canadian lumber with manufacturers, while on-site collateral at trade shows increases awareness of Canadian species at some of the largest wood product events in the country.

The naturally:wood website provides information on B.C. forest products and the province’s sustainably managed forests. FII recorded over 40,000 site visits to naturallywood.com with the number of publication downloads increasing 20% over the previous year. Naturally:wood also had a presence at five B.C.-based tradeshows – four more than in 2015 – increasing in-person engagement with architects, engineers and designers.

A 100-unit townhouse project in Tianjin is part of China’s first, largescale, community-sized demonstration area for wood in construction.

FII India hosted a networking event “Explore Business Opportunities with Canadian Wood” in December at the FII display centre in Mumbai, with B.C. Minister of Finance Michael de Jong as the guest of honour.

Last year, FII helped architects, engineers and others to broaden their expertise in designing and building with wood. We also assisted small-to-medium sized enterprises (SME) in increasing their manufacturing and promotional capacity to bring new wood products to market.

Product trials have emerged as a highly successful means to engage with and motivate Indian manufacturers to try something different—and then convert or augment existing or new production to Canadian species.

FII co-funded a workshop organized by the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) at UBC and led by the Institute for Computational Design at the University of Stuttgart. The workshop not only supported innovation in timber construction, but also allowed for a complete re-interpretation of wood architecture.

FII continues to collaborate with the U.S.-based Softwood Lumber Board to deliver the reThink Wood marketing and communication program. reThink Wood is the go-to resource in the U.S. for inspiration, information and technical resources about lumber and wood.

FII, in conjunction the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, Natural Resources Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, hosted a delegation from the Government of The Netherlands’ Ministry of Economic Affairs in support of Dutch efforts to develop sustainability criteria for biomass.

In June, 2016, construction began on a 1.3 million m2 commercial residential project in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province. The project includes 115 concrete townhouses featuring wood truss roofs, which will use more than 2,000 m3 of Canadian SPF.

After receiving support from Canada Wood China, in February 2017, China’s Ministry of Housing and UrbanRural Development issued a new standard for multistorey and high-rise timber buildings (the new code will take effect on October 1, 2017).

In 2016/17, Canada Wood Korea provided technical support for a unique six-storey demonstration project that uses Canadian SPF lumber and OSB.

In 2016/17, we co-funded the report, International Comparison of Forest Management Legal Frameworks and Certification Standards, which confirms B.C. and Canada’s position as leaders in sustainable forest management.

To communicate learnings from this leading-edge project, FII developed factsheets, case studies, education modules and a time-lapse video.

During the past year, Canada Wood Group made significant progress opening up the market for five and six-storey platform-frame construction (PFC) wooden mid-rise buildings in Japan. New market research has identified opportunities in the midrise and hotel segments that could generate an additional 250,000 m3 annually of new forest products demand.

FPInnovations conducted a series of surveys of B.C. small and medium-sized manufacturers to assess business and operational needs.

In 2016, Canada Wood and the Japan 2x4 Home Builders Association jointly obtained a series of fi ve two-hour "fireproof" approvals from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for 2x4 exterior walls, standard and double Midply partition walls, party walls and fl oor assemblies. 

Various wood product manufacturers have successfully experimented with B.C. and Canadian wood species through FII-led product trials using wood samples provided by the forest industry and Canada Wood.

Following the MOU signing between the Province of B.C., the Government of Canada and MOHURD, a Joint Work Plan was prepared in line with the principles set forth in the MOU.

Completed in March 2016, and following efforts to obtain two-hour fireproof approvals, Japan completed a six-storey, two-by-four demonstration project (funded by the Japanese government), which shows the viability of six storey, two-by-four, mid-rise structures made entirely from wood by incorporating “fireproof” features, a double-Midply wall system and other innovations.

On February 13, 2016 FII India participated in the Vibrant Kutch event held in India's westernmost state of Gujarat. 

WoodWorks awarded The Radiator building with the 2016 Wood Design Award for multi-storey wood design. PATH Architecture, Munzing Structural Engineering and Kaiser Group Inc. completed the 36,000 square foot, five-story office building in Portland, Oregon in 2015.

Canada Wood China and the Shanghai Science and Technology Committee of Shanghai’s MOHURD signed an MOU on promoting application and development of wood construction technology as a green building solution. A second MOU was signed between FII, Canada Wood and the Shanghai Construction and Development Centre.

In November, 2015 FII India participated in a three day event in Gandhinagar to highlight B.C. and Canada as a trusted source for certified (PEFC/FSC) solid wood lumber sourced from sustainably managed forests.

The annual forest sector trade mission to Asia, led by B.C. Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson, took place from November 29 – December 5, 2015.

FII completed and inaugurated an exclusive first-of-its-kind display centre in Mumbai. The 1,300 square foot space highlights how to build with wood from sustainable and certified forests. 

Wood-frame construction took centre stage during the annual forest sector trade mission to Asia last October where the GICO Community Centre was officially opened by Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and members of his delegation.

Significant advancements were made in 2015/16 with respect to Chinese government policies that favour wood and wood construction. These policies not only signal government priorities related to construction opportunities for wood, but also direct lower levels of government to act on these policies. Canada Wood China’s market development priorities continue to align with those of China’s central government.

Canadian Wood showcased sustainable, certified wood varieties from Canada to be used in furniture, doors, door frames and other interior applications.

To obtain a current understanding of their views and preferences regarding wood use in buildings in B.C., FII surveyed two key audience groups: 1) specifiers (architects, engineers, developers and builders), and 2) the public.

On September 1, 2015, the “Action Plan to Promote Green Building Materials Production and Building Applications (Action Plan)” circular (circular No. 2015-309) was jointly issued by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Development (MOHURD).

On August 3, 2015, the Korea Wood Construction Association (KWCA) marked the 100th application for 5 Star accreditation, a voluntary wood construction quality certification program established in 2009 with support from Canada Wood. 

In August 2015, a delegation of senior officials from Zhejiang’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) travelled to B.C. to increase their understanding of how wood-frame construction can assist the province to meet its objectives in the areas of building energy efficiency, building quality and safety, and affordable housing.

Many US apartments are wood-frame; however, wood structures are far less common in other code-permitting applications, including the sub-category known as “big-box” retail. To illustrate the advantages of building with wood, WoodWorks commissioned two studies, one cost comparison and one life cycle assessment, on the same big box project designed in steel vs. wood. Visit www.woodworks.org for the full report.

On June 26, 2015, FII and the B.C. Ministry of International Trade hosted a delegation from China’s Sichuan province, led by Vice-Governor Huang Yanrong. Responsible for leading construction, education and tourism efforts in Sichuan, the Vice-Governor visited B.C. to explore the application of B.C. wood and low carbon wood construction technologies, and to discuss other opportunities for increased engagement between the two provinces.

“Yu Ling Long” (Royal Crystal Garden) is a multiple building complex being constructed on commercial terms by Chinese developer Crown Homes.

Having made significant adjustments to forest management practices over the past two decades, Canadian producers have an opportunity to position themselves more competitively by communicating that their products come from legally-logged sources that welcome scrutiny, achieve third-party certification, and do not contribute to deforestation.

The sleek, contemporary exterior of the Stella project in Marina del Rey, California, gives little indication of the wood framing inside.

When the University of Massachusetts (UMass) decided to combine its Architecture + Design, Building and Construction Technology, Landscape Architecture, and Regional Planning departments into a new integrated design building, it presented a significant opportunity for wood use.

With construction activity growing in many regions across the US, eight member companies and the BC Wood Specialties Group reported a particularly successful International Builder’s Show.

With technical support from Canada Wood Group, developers in China are designing innovative structures that take advantage of the strength and versatility of B.C. wood species. 

In October 2014, Jiangsu Province signed an MOU with the province of B.C. to increase the use of wood in construction. 

In 2013/14 the reThink Wood campaign worked closely with B.C. industry associations to coordinate tradeshow promotions under common branding and approach. The “Real Cedar” booth and materials provided additional depth to the reThink brand platform and found new audiences for outdoor, furniture and finishing applications.

Exhibiting at the North American Wholesale Lumber Association’s annual Trader’s Market is a tradition for B.C. companies. 

BC Wood Specialities Group coordinates trade show activities in Japan on behalf of Canada Wood Group and uses eye-catching displays to build traffic and consumer interest.

After establishing FII India in mid-2012, a decision was made to secure undeveloped office space rather than prefinished space. 

Following a comprehensive process involving extensive public and technical consultations, the B.C. Building Code was revised in 2009 to increase the maximum height for wood-frame residential construction from four-to six-storeys. B.C. was the first province in Canada to make this change.

Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important to Korean consumers when making buying decisions regarding housing and home furnishings.

After several years of Canada Wood Group programs to promote multi-family wood frame construction systems, Korean developers are starting to incorporate them into their projects.

2014 marked the 10th anniversary of the annual Wood Design Awards held by the Canadian Wood Council’s Wood WORKS! BC program.

In a market such as India, government-to-government relations are an important dimension of trade development. India and Canada are in the process of negotiating a Free Trade Agreement which will be an important step in our future trading relationship.

Wood building technology developed in B.C. has played a key role in the design of a proposed new elderly care facility in Japan.

With technical support from FII China and CWG, Vanke, China’s largest developer, completed another significant wood frame project in the city of Qingdao.

The third of four buildings under the $4.6 million Canada-Tohoku Reconstruction Project opened this past summer in Japan.

Architects and engineers are the primary audience for the reThink Wood program, a comprehensive, fact-based, and peer-driven pro-wood outreach effort across North America.

The Jinqiao Townhouse Project is the first of its kind in China: an all wood frame multistorey, multi-family complex that does not require the same amount of space as a traditional single family home. Located in Shanghai’s Pudong New District, the project is part of “Green City” concept envisioned by its developers.

On March 11, 2011 a 9.0-magnitude earthquake occurred off Japan’s northeast coast in the area of Sendai. The earthquake and resulting tsunami caused mass fatalities, casualties and catastrophic loss of infrastructure. 

Increasing awareness of the use of SPF in post-and-beam design was achieved through displays at trade events such as at the Japan Kenzai Fair in 2013.

In 2009, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) of Hebei Province signed a cooperative agreement with FII China on the application and promotion of modern wood frame technology. 

The DHC Villas comprise the second phase of the demonstration site. VIlla B currently serves as the auxilliary offices for Canada Wood China.