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FPInnovations updates guide for tall wood buildings in Canada

FPInnovations, a private non-profit specializing in creating solutions that support the global competitiveness of the Canadian forest sector, today launched the 2022 Edition of its Technical Guide for the Design and Construction of Tall Wood Buildings in Canada. This state-of-the-art, nearly 700-page handbook has been updated from its 2014 edition with the most up-to-date information and is aimed to assist architects, engineers, code consultants, developers, building owners, and authorities having jurisdiction to understand the unique context to be considered when developing and constructing tall wood buildings.

Providing actionable data and tools to construction industry professionals is a way to foster increased wood use in non-residential construction. In doing so, wood can replace carbon intensive materials like steel and concrete, and store carbon in the long term. “The interest towards tall wood building construction has grown significantly worldwide in recent years, as evidenced by the many projects and code changes (such as the acceptance of encapsulated mass timber construction up to 12 storeys in Canada) that have emerged since the first edition was published,” says Erol Karacabeyli, co-editor of the guide and lead scientist, sustainable construction at FPInnovations. “The experience and data gained through these projects and recent research have helped consolidate knowledge and provide an enhanced version of this comprehensive guide.”

The 2022 Edition of the Technical Guide for the Design and Construction of Tall Wood Buildings in Canada complies with the recently published 2020 National Building Code of Canada, the 2019 edition of the CSA standard O86, and the Canadian Wood Council Wood Design Manual 2020. It was written and peer-reviewed by more than 60 experts and was financially supported by Natural Resources Canada, Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd., BC Housing, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs Québec, Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Government of Saskatchewan, Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, and FPInnovations’ industry partners.

“In the context of sustainable forest management, carbon storage in wood buildings offers an important avenue for achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals,” Stéphane Renou, FPInnovations president and CEO, said. “The pooling of knowledge from many specialists in various fields of expertise is indicative of the strength of this guide, which we firmly believe will continue to increase the number of tall wood buildings on both the Canadian and international landscapes.”

Free downloadable copies of the Technical Guide for the Design and Construction of Tall Wood Buildings in Canada are available at web.fpinnovations.ca/tallwood (English version) and web.fpinnovations.ca/fr/tallwood (French version). Hard copies can also be ordered via FPInnovations’ Amazon library.

Coming soon: Modelling Guide for Timber Structures

Building on the technical and scientific knowledge of its team of experts and of external partners, FPInnovations is currently completing the preparation of a new Modelling Guide for Timber Structure, to be released in the coming months. This new guide introduces computer modelling concepts and tools to support the analysis and design of timber structures including tall wood buildings.