As a lumber trader, stories involving wood, the renewable resource, always catch the eye. Local media do a great job of covering innovations in the forestry industry… so we’re aware that referencing a story in today’s Vancouver Sun, in which local architect Michael Green’s visions for construction of 40 or 45 storey wood-frame buildings, is offering additional insight to local readers. However, we note that Harderblog’s vast international readership tells us visitors to this site have appreciated our referrals that usually have direct or general connection to forestry – not necessarily restricted to the price of studs.

Back in 2011, Oscar Faoro of the Canadian Wood Council told us of a growing national campaign to increase the use of wood in commercial, industrial and institutional construction (see post here). Today, technological developments involving wood structures are making news on all fronts (HT: R. Falletta). Bethany Lindsay of the Vancouver Sun reports here that architect Michael Green’s firm designed the Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George, a seven-storey mass timber building at the University of Northern B.C. that was recently completed and should be cleared for occupancy in a few days. We’re told that Green will submit his proposal for a ground-breaking, new 16-18 storey wood building at UBC that will house the university’s school of architecture and landscape architecture. At the same time it’s reported that Green’s firm is working on “a very large timber project” in Minneapolis with a large developer that has traditionally built skyscrapers.
These are heady days in wood structure construction.