Led by BC Forests Minister Bruce Ralston, a delegation of more than 40 high-level industry, government and First Nations representatives visited Tokyo in December 2023. The mission featured significant First Nations representation, led by Chief Lynda Price, Board Director with the BC Assembly of First Nations and Chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation.

The four-day program led more than 200 Japanese stakeholders through six site visits, three networking events, and one-on-one meetings.

A highlight of the mission was the 3rd Canada-Japan Wood Forum. With more than 180 participants, the forum allowed Japanese stakeholders to engage with BC representatives on the state of the BC forest sector and for industry personnel to explore opportunities with their Japanese counterparts for advanced wood use in non-residential, midrise, and mass timber construction. For the first time, a First Nations-focused panel informed Japanese stakeholders on the shared stewardship model that is emerging in BC and the stability it will bring to future BC lumber supplies.

Photos: Canada Wood

Case studies showcase expansion of wood construction

Demonstration projects using wood are often built as a test of the feasibility of wood construction—a pre-commercial undertaking. Case studies, in comparison, showcase buildings built as commercial undertakings. This provides even greater credibility to the benefits of building with wood. As a result, case studies are a foundational element of Canada Wood’s market development activities in Japan.

To promote wood component use in commercial construction, last year Canada Wood published a case study on new wooden warehouses built for Makita Transport, a logistics company in food warehousing and transport. Of interest, the builder chose wood truss roofing over steel alternatives for a warehouse with a 20-metre, column-free roof span. Makita was so impressed with the warehouse that it has since built a second one. Both warehouses used Canadian S-P-F dimensional lumber in the roof trusses and for the walls of the building, sheathed with Canadian OSB.

In the construction of taller office buildings, Canada Wood published a case study on an eight-storey tower built for AQ Group. AQ designed the all-wood building using technology and expertise they developed in their residential construction projects. The building includes engineered wood products, such as laminated veneer lumber beams and glulam, and Canada Tsuga (hemlock from BC).

The Tsuga was used as rafters to support the roof and heavy solar panels due to its strength, high nail retention and resistance to bending. This reduced overall lumber usage and costs.

Canada Wood publishes new case studies on a regular basis to promote new approaches to wood construction and to further diversify markets for BC wood products.

Photo: Canada Wood

Two technical issues—seismic performance and fire-resistance—have tended to hold back larger wood building projects in Japan. A new mid-rise commercial building in Japan shows that both issues can be dealt with successfully.

“This is Me” is a five-storey commercial building constructed entirely of wood. To deal with seismic performance, the building uses a high-performance Midply Wood Shear Wall System made from Canadian S-P-F lumber and oriented strand board (OSB). The approach was developed in Vancouver by FPInnovations. Canada Wood worked with Japanese officials to have the engineered building assembly certified under Japan’s Building Standards Law. With this certification, the Canadian Midply Wall System has now been used in more than 10,000 projects across Japan.

To achieve fire safety approvals, the building uses assemblies developed in partnership with the Japan 2×4 Home Builders Association. The approach was extensively tested by authorities before receiving fireproof approvals. Without these fireproof approvals, the project could not have been built.

The 592-square-metre building makes extensive use of Canadian 2×4 and 2×6 S-P-F dimension lumber.

With the resolution of the seismic and fireproofing issues, “This is Me” sends the powerful message “This is possible” to Japanese developers regarding wood use for mid-rise projects.

Photo: Fuji Realty Co., Ltd.

To speed the transition to wood construction, Canada Wood has a long-standing strategy in Japan of highlighting new projects using wood in underserved construction sectors. This approach supports the overall marketing goal of boosting wood consumption through market diversification.

The Asahi kindergarten is a case in point. The original concrete school was nearing the end of its useful life and needed a replacement with a newer look and feel. The developer chose wood construction for its ecologically friendly appeal, cost competitiveness, and speed of construction. The first phase of the project is now complete. When completed, the building will have used 320 m2 of Canadian S-P-F and will feature a wooden roof span of 13.5 metres. Canada Wood is publicizing the school as an example of how wood construction can meet the needs of the education and institutional sectors.

Photo: Asahi Kindergarten | Credit: Canada Wood