Construction and Building Industries are at a pivotal turning point A Mass Timber Institute can act as a testbed and catalyst for Canada to be on the cutting-edge of filling those gaps. It can position the province and its building and construction industry in the forefront of tall wood construction while stimulating student learning and skill creation. It’s an exciting idea whose time has come.
Helping Canada become a global leader in tall wood buildings and advanced wood products
The Mass Timber Institute aspires to be an ambitious and unique public-private collaboration focused on ground-breaking research and development as well as specialized teaching and training regarding mass timber tall wood buildings and the use of advanced wood products.
The partnership, co-led by the University of Toronto and George Brown College, with the academic partners including the Universities of Lakehead, Laurentian and Ottawa, and other partners including FPInnovations and Wood WORKS!, will work with other colleges and universities, the federal and provincial governments, industry, designers and builders across Canada and internationally. The Institute will be “virtual” since the R&D and teaching will be shared among partners, educators and researchers, with the opportunity for Tall Wood Building demonstration projects to be used as “living labs” or learning landscapes. Research themes will include forestry and engineering including bio-composites and acoustics; architecture and design including building automation and prefabricated design; and building and construction including robotics and fire performance.
THE BENEFITS OF THE INSTITUTE INCLUDE:
• The development of new real-life replicable building practices to help companies take advantage of the rapidly growing opportunities in mass timber construction.
• The possibility of shaping the type of pioneering advanced technologies to be researched by the Institute.
• An increased pool of highly qualified skilled trade and technical personnel versed in the most-up-to-date knowledge in wood design, engineering, construction and sustainability.
• The ability to efficiently access expertise that is not usually available to non-academic players.
• The potential emergence of more robust provincial construction and building industries as Canada becomes a hub for green mass timber building construction that attracts researchers, industry leaders and talent from around the world.
