Wood Solutions Conference

Timber Solutions in Education Projects

photo by Mark Hadden, Sandal Magna Primary School, SWA

The session will focus on a selection of SWA’s recent primary school projects, drawing on the practice’s experience in new build and extension projects located in both urban and rural settings. It will look at how the selection of structural timber solutions and timber finishes has responded to the clients’ briefs as well as site and programming constraints. We will also explore how community build was incorporated at Mellor Primary School and the way in which projects such as Mellor and Sandal Magna Primary School have supported the Schools’ sustainable pedagogy.

Eleanor Brough, MA DipArch ARB, Associate, Sarah Wigglesworth Architects, London, UK

Eleanor Brough is a graduate of Cambridge University and University College London and has worked for ten years with SWA delivering a number of award-winning buildings. In 2016 she won the RIBA North West Project Architect of the Year Award for her work on Mellor Primary School, an exemplar rural school project. She has expertise in the education, housing and cultural sectors and currently heading up an urban regeneration project in Nottingham, UK and is leading the initial design stages of a new nursery in a riverside rural site in Yorkshire, UK.

 Unlimited Versatility of Wood Construction

Photographer: LTA, Tsleil–Waututh Admin & Health Centre

This project aims to stimulate the desire to design and build with wood by illustrating its potential in a selection of construction examples. Canada is home to more than 22,000 individuals educated and engaged in architectural endeavours (IBIS World, 2017) and over 34,000 civil engineers working in architectural engineering and related services (Engineers Canada, 2015). There are significant opportunities for wood in construction – it is Canada’s most natural, renewable and readily available resource and its inherent limitations are only perceived. This presentation will encourage design professionals to use wood to it’s full potential and further advance current wood construction technologies.

Lubor Trubka, Architect AIBC, FRAIC
Principal in Charge / Lead Design Architect, Lubor Trubka Associates Architects (LTA), Vancouver, BC

Established in 1975, Lubor Trubka Associates has been providing architectural expertise to clients across North America, Asia and Europe. Lubor’s projects have frequently been recognized for their design excellence, innovation, efficiency and sustainability, resulting in international commissions. Lubor is an enthusiastic advocate of wood construction and in 2008 became the second recipient of the Canadian Wood Council’s Wood Champion Award.

Effective R-value calculator for walls: A free tool to demonstrate compliance with the prescriptive wall provisions of the ABC 9.36

The Canadian Wood Council’s (CWC) interactive Effective R-value calculator is a free tool to help designers comply with the prescriptive energy provisions in any code that references effective thermal insulation values, including the ABC. The calculator enables designers to explore options, compare features, and determine a suit- able wall assembly that can perform across a range of Canadian climates. This free online tool www.effectiver. ca provides effective R-values for wall assemblies and includes a durability assessment that considers computer modeling and field experience.

Rob Jonkman P.Eng, Director, Codes & Standards – Structural Engineering, Canadian Wood Council, Ottawa, ON

Completing a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Management degree at McMaster University in Hamilton in 1994, Rob worked for one year at a structural engineering consulting firm and over nine years at Normerica Building Systems, a Canadian manufacturer of post and beam/timberframe buildings as “Design and Engineering Supervisor”. Rob joined the Canadian Wood Council’s Codes and Standards division in 2005, progressing to “Director, Codes and Standards – Structural Engineering” in 2014.

Concentrating on structural engineering, building science, and energy issues, Rob is responsible for the CWC’s Publication and Software business centre, participates on the Technical Research Committee and the Net Zero Energy Housing council of the Canadian Home Builder’s Association, participates on national building code committees (Structural and Energy) and is the Secretary/Associate for the Technical Committee on the “Engineering Design in Wood” (CSA O86) Standard.

Acoustics – Avoiding complaints and meeting/exceeding building code requirements

This presentation defines building code requirements and outlines acoustic principles in addition to discussing efficient means of acoustic insulation using multiple floor/ceiling assemblies for light wood-frame and mass timber buildings. This presentation will benefit any building and design professionals such as architects, designers, acoustic engineers, builders/developers and general contractors.

André Rioux, Vice President, Sales and Development, AcoustiTECH a division of FINITEC GROUP, St. Lambert de Lauzon, QC

Since the creation of AcoustiTECH in 2000, Andre has been traveling all over Canada, the United States and the UAE to make presentations to groups of architects, project managers, general contractors, flooring contractors and more. Andre’s experience combined with the expertise of his team has resulted in AcoustiTECH being the number one reference in the field of acoustics for new and existing buildings. After over 15 years, Andre continues to enjoy meeting with professionals and collaborating in the success of their projects.

Fire Safe Alternative Solutions for Tall Wood Buildings

A number of tall wood buildings in Canada are currently in the design phase, are currently under construction or have been constructed.  Since the current prescriptive code requirements, in all provinces, does not permit the use of combustible construction past 6 stories, the Alternative Solutions pathway to building code compliance is required in which the proponent must demonstrate that the proposed design using combustible construction achieves the levels of performance required of the acceptable noncombustible construction solution (e.g. steel or concrete building).  This presentation will focus on the alternative solution process and specific considerations which should be considered in an Alternative Solution for a Tall Wood Building.

Steven Craft, Ph.D., P.Eng., Principal, CHM Fire Consultants Ltd., Ottawa, ON

Steve Craft is a Principal Engineer with CHM Fire Consultants Ltd and an Adjunct Professor in the Fire Safety Engineering Program at Carleton University.  He holds a Ph.D from Carleton University in Fire Safety Engineering and an undergraduate degree in Forest Engineering from the University of New Brunswick. He actively participates in several committees including as Chair of the ULC Fire Test Committee; ASTM E05 Committee on Fire Tests where he is on the Executive Committee and CSA O86 Technical Committee on Wood Design where he chairs the TG on Fire Resistance.  Dr. Craft has taught graduate courses in Wood Engineering, Wood Structures and Fire Safety, and Fire Dynamics at Carleton University.  He was appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board of the Fire and Materials Journal in 2015. Dr. Craft has spent the last 15 years conducting research in the fire performance of wood structures and is recognized internationally for is expertise.

Shifting Gears – The World’s First Wood Frame Certified Passivehouse Car Dealership!

Scott Subaru Dealership, Red Deer, AB photo courtesy of Cover Architectural Collaborative Inc.

Building a wood frame Car Dealership is a unique proposition to begin with. Making it a Certified Passivehouse building in cold windy Red Deer is an added level of complexity. Scottsville Autogroup, along with Cover Architectural Collaborative and Peel Passivehouse was up for the challenge. Now nearing completion, the project will set a new bar for energy efficient and sustainable construction in the industrial sector. The project shows that manufactured wood products are not only capable but preferable when designing sustainable buildings. The use of wood not only significantly reduces the embodied energy of the structure, but allows for thermal bridge free construction – a critical consideration when building a super-efficient envelope.

Fire & Sound Solutions for Mid-Rise construction

Participants will gain a better understanding of how gypsum responds in a fire and protects the structural components of a building, we will also discuss fire-resistance assemblies and their components and provide information on non-masonry, non-combustible Firewall options for mid-rise construction.  Along with fire, sound control is an important element of mid-rise construction and we will discuss STC and ASTC ratings and options for controlling sound transmission.

Michelle Maybee, P.Eng, Architectural Solutions Manager, CertainTeed Canada, ON

Michelle has 20 years experience in the wood design industry.  As an Architectural solutions manager she works with Architects and designers on the Specification and detailing of CertainTeed gypsum, insulation and commercial ceiling products.  Previously she worked with the Canadian Wood Council as a Technical Advisor in the Ontario market, working to promote the use of wood in institutional, industrial and commercial projects, including mid-rise and mass timber opportunities.  Prior to that, she worked independently as a consultant for component design as well as a Field Engineer for an engineered wood manufacturer focused on Light wood frame construction.

Cory Zurell, PhD, P. Eng., Principal, Blackwell Structural Engineers, Waterloo, ON

Cory is a structural engineer, managing Blackwell’s Waterloo, Ontario, office. He has a particular interest in timber design—a subject he also teaches for civil engineering students at the University of Waterloo. He is a member of the PRG-320 standard committee for CLT and is currently the chair of the timber design subcommittee for CSA S6, the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code.

Marc Alam, B.Eng., E.I.T., Technical Specialist – Fire, Codes & Standards, Canadian Wood Council, Ottawa, ON

Marc Alam is a member of the Canadian Wood Council. He is a Technical Specialist in the fire division.As Technical Specialist in Fire, Marc participates in CWC’s building code and standards fire-related initiatives and the development of CWC’s fire design tools, as well as code-related fire research projects. 

North American Wood Design Awards: A Showcase of Wood Design Award Winners from 2017-2018

Find your design inspiration! This presentation will highlight award-winning projects from the Wood Design Award programs held across Canada and in the US in the past year. The projects featured in this presentation showcase innovative uses of wood in institutional, commercial and residential designs. Unique, one-of-a-kind buildings will be showcased, as will designs that can be easily and cost-effectively replicated.

Marianne Berube, Executive Director, Wood WORKS! Ontario, North Bay, ON

Marianne lives and works in North Bay, Ontario. She graduated from Nipissing and York Universities with degrees in Environmental Science and Business. She has extensive experience within the finance, construction and wood industries. Marianne sits on several boards and is currently chair of Nipissing University’s Board of Governors.

Lynn Embury-Williams, Executive Director, Wood WORKS! BC, Vancouver, BC

Lynn is a Registered Professional Forester in the province of BC and has an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. She joined the Wood WORKS! BC program as executive director in 2014. For over two decades, Lynn was the director of marketing and business development at Canfor, assisting the company to become one of the top SPF producers in the world Lynn chaired the NEWBuildS NSERC Forestry Network Program, whose primary goal was to advance scientific knowledge and construction technologies that will enable wood based products to be used in tall residential and non residential construction. Lynn was a forester in the East Kootenays during the 1980’s and managed the largest private land holding in forests in the province of BC.

Photo courtesy of Tom Arban Photography

Lethbridge College T.T.R.I.P.
Lethbridge College TTRIP dramatically expands the campus, creates a new south entrance, and provides state-of-the-art training opportunities for students. The 170,000-square-foot addition organizes new workshops, labs, offices and classrooms around a north-south spine and adjacent learning commons. Exposed timber elements are an integral part of the architecture, analyzed to achieve aesthetic, spatial, social and functional objectives. In particular, long span timber beams, deck selection, column types and connectors are all designed to be central to the College’s objective of a transformative instruction and learning environment.