Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/523530
Wood Innovation and Design Centre. SAIL on the UBC campus. J UNE 2015 | 41 Engineered Wood Products PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMA PETER PHOTOGRAPHY; RAEF GROHNE, ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHER/COURTESY WOOD DESIGN AWARDS IN BC/WOOD WORKS! BC O Over the past decade, demand for wood products in large buildings has increased significantly. Today, they're the material of choice for architectural and structural applications in buildings because of their low environmental impact and cost-effectiveness – not to mention their strength, beauty and versatility. In the commercial and institutional market, wood products are in high-demand, and that trend has expanded into mid-rise residential construction, too. "There has been tremendous advances made in wood product and system development which have in turn increased the scope and role wood plays in the design and construction of today's buildings," says Lynn Embury-Williams, executive director Wood WORKS! BC. Where steel and concrete were once the go-to mate- rials for larger buildings, mass timber panel systems and other engineered wood products (EWP) are now the popular option. "Engineered wood is ideal for mid- rise construction because it has minimal shrinkage, greater design capabilities and is overall a more con- sistent product," says Andre Lema, manager of busi- ness development for Western Archrib. Bigger&Better A new generation of engineered wood products has arrived by STACEY MCLACHLAN