Resources

Fire Resistance of Wood Construction

Wood can take the heat.

Fire Safety in Wood Buildings

Fire is a danger for all buildings and construction sites – regardless of building material. Fires start in the contents and furnishings we bring into our homes and offices, and occur in concrete, steel, masonry, and wood buildings alike. What’s most important is building to code to ensure safe buildings for occupants and first responders.

Building codes require all building systems to perform to the same level of safety, regardless of the material used.

The number of structure fires has trended downward over the past 40 years, falling from a peak of 1,098,000 in 1977. Since 2009, the estimated number of structure fires per year has been below 500,000 every year except for 2015. During that similar period, wood construction has steadily climbed, and today an average of 90 percent of homes are built with wood.

Biophilic Architecture + Building Design

Pure ha-pine-ness.

Wood has been used as a building material for millennia, but the biophilic benefits of wood are only recently being studied and understood. While many people agree wood is visually pleasing, researchers are discovering that wood can contribute to the health and well-being of building occupants.

Reduced Stress

Breathe in, branch out.

One of the biggest causes of health problems in modern society is stress, causing any number of symptoms including anxiety, difficulty focusing, or interacting socially.

Research from the U.S., Canada, Austria, and other countries found that humans automatically relax when they are surrounded by elements from the natural world.average of 90 percent of homes are built with wood.

Increased Productivity

Better concen-tree-tion.

Until recently, the link between wood interiors and productivity has been anecdotal.

Research is beginning to show that wood can make a difference. Forest and Wood Products Australia commissioned a study that linked nature, biophilic design, and wood with improved physical and mental well-being. The study surveyed 1,000 Australian workers and found a correlation between the presence of wood and employees’ overall satisfaction at work, lower absenteeism, higher levels of concentration, and improved productivity. Infographic excerpt from Workplaces: Wellness + Wood + Productivity

Nature's Healing Properties

A room with a view.

A growing body of evidence attests to the fact that the physical environment impacts patient stress, patient and staff safety, staff effectiveness, and quality of care provided in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

A study by Roger Ulrich compared outcomes in patients with views of a brick wall versus patients who saw nature and trees. While patients had the same type of surgery and were matched for other demographics, patients with windows that looked out on trees and landscape had improved patient outcomes, from shorter hospital stays to enhanced mood and less reported pain.

What is Biophilic Design

Spruce this place up.

Although the term seems relatively new and is gradually trending in the fields of architecture and interior design, biophilia was first used by psychologist Erich Fromm in 1964, then popularized by biologist Edward O. Wilson in the 1980s, when he detected how urbanization is leading to a disconnection with nature.

Planet

Healthy forests can help cool the planet

The world’s forests help curb climate change and global warming by absorbing nearly a quarter of carbon emissions caused by human activity (PDF)—primarily the burning of fossil fuels and converting regions to farmland and other uses. By sucking up that carbon, forests reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and in turn decrease the impacts of climate change. This means keeping forests healthy is a critical part of removing harmful emissions and cooling our planet. Trees absorb carbon as they grow and when made into wood products, continue to store that carbon over their lifetime. Natural regeneration and planting continue this cycle. Managing our forests sustainably, increasing our use of wood products over carbon-intensive materials and maximizing their reuse and recycling is a smart climate solution.

Forest

Forests as carbon sources and carbon sinks

Forests can act as both carbon sources and carbon sinks. When trees burn or decay, whether by old age, fire, insect attack or other disturbances, they release carbon into the atmosphere. Carbon is absorbed through photosynthesis, storing the carbon in the tree’s trunks, branches, roots, leaves and soil. A forest is a carbon source if it releases more carbon than it absorbs. It is a carbon sink if it absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases.

For the past century, B.C.’s managed forests have been a significant carbon sink, steadily adding carbon to that already stored. In more recent years, the impacts of climate change—forest fires and insect attacks—have led to a shift in the province’s carbon balance, with some forested regions becoming a source of carbon.

Photo credit: Michael Bednar

Future

Planting for future climate conditions and restoring the carbon balance

A dynamic approach to forest management is helping restore the carbon balance of B.C.’s forests while making them more resilient in the face of climate change. Using the latest science, B.C. researchers (external link)—in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service, the University of British Columbia, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service—are finding ways to minimize the impacts of wildfires and maximize the amount of CO2 absorbed by the province’s forests. By modelling a range of scenarios—such as different approaches to harvesting, silviculture and the use of bioenergy to replace fossil fuels—scientists are finding ways to adapt to warming temperatures.

One way the province is doing this is by researching growth rates and planting specific native tree species where future climate conditions can help them thrive. In fact, B.C.’s forests are growing one to three per cent faster per year on average according to a study from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (external link).

For example, the black spruce—found in northern B.C.—is a native tree species that is growing twice as fast due to a warming climate. Another is western larch, which can now be planted north of its traditional range. With the right planning, climate change is and can continue to accelerate the regeneration of B.C.’s forests and even boost their carbon-absorbing benefits.

Photo credit: Jonathan Taggart

Future

How wood construction can help fight climate change

Sustainably-sourced wood products help reduce the impacts of climate change. Their carbon-locking capability makes them an eco-friendlier choice when compared with non-renewable materials with high emissions such as steel or concrete. It is one of the few structural building materials we can grow using the sun while absorbing harmful CO2 emissions from our atmosphere. Cement, on the other hand, is the source of about eight per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Constructing more and taller structures with wood, and reducing our use of high-emission materials, such as steel and concrete, is a practical way to reduce the embodied carbon of our buildings.

Askew’s Uptown Supermarket | Photo credit: Derek Lepper Photography

Fire Resistance of Wood Construction

Wood can take the heat.

Fire Safety in Wood Buildings

Building codes require all building systems to perform to the same level of safety, regardless of the material used.

Biophilic Architecture + Building Design

Pure ha-pine-ness.

Reduced Stress

Breathe in, branch out.

One of the biggest causes of health problems in modern society is stress, causing any number of symptoms including anxiety, difficulty focusing, or interacting socially.

Increased Productivity

Better concen-tree-tion.

Until recently, the link between wood interiors and productivity has been anecdotal.

Nature's Healing Properties

A room with a view.

A growing body of evidence attests to the fact that the physical environment impacts patient stress, patient and staff safety, staff effectiveness, and quality of care provided in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

What is Biophilic Design

Spruce this place up.

Planet

Healthy forests can help cool the planet

Forest

Forests as carbon sources and carbon sinks

Future

Planting for future climate conditions and restoring the carbon balance

Future

How wood construction can help fight climate change

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