DEVELOPING A WOOD CULTURE FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION

Light frame wood construction has been used for decades in North America for residential construction. However, wood as a construction material for non-residential buildings almost disappeared in Eastern Canada and was replaced by steel and concrete. Over the last 10 to 15 years, important efforts were made in Eastern Canada and in the Province of Quebec in particular to develop a wood culture and promote the use of wood for non-residential construction. In 2008, the Quebec Government adopted a policy to favor the use of wood in public buildings construction provided that the design meets building code requirements and that the construction cost is no more than 5 % higher than for a standard steel and concrete project. Laval University has been very active in the development of this policy and is committed to the development of wood culture in general. Two major building projects were realized on campus since 2004: the Gene-H.-Kruger Building and the TELUS Stadium. A 44 meter span wooden bridge was also built at Montmorency Forest, Laval University’s experimental forest station. These projects were realized as demonstrations that wood can be used for non-residential building economically while valorizing the aesthetic character of wood. They were also aimed at showing the variety of wood-based products available in the market. Wood construction for non-residential buildings is gaining ground in Quebec but work remains to be done. Some of the significant aspects that need to be improved include the development of tools and documentation for engineers and architects involved in these projects, better training programs at the technical and professional levels, and pursue research in the areas of wood based products and construction.