Mass Timber Construction Podcast
Mass Timber Construction Podcast
Mass Timber Market Updates - Aug 2024 - Week Thirtyone
Discover how mass timber is reshaping our built environment and setting new standards in sustainable construction. Join us on the Mass Timber Construction Podcast as we unveil the latest global advancements, starting with North Saskatoon's ambitious public library project and Toronto's groundbreaking 10-story mass timber development aimed at affordable housing. Hear all about the evolving regulatory landscape in Michigan, which now simplifies the approval process for mass timber school designs, thanks to updates recognizing the material's superb fire resistance.
We also travel to Launceston, Tasmania, where one of the country's most sustainable office buildings has officially opened its doors. These stories highlight the transformative potential of mass timber in reducing carbon emissions and supporting social equity, despite the challenges of durability and fire safety. Tune in for these exciting updates and insights into the future of sustainable construction, as we celebrate the innovations and opportunities mass timber brings to the table.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are live. This is the moment you all have been waiting for. It's time for the global sensation, the one, the only, the undisputed heavyweight podcast in the world the Mass Timber Construction Podcast. And now here's Paul Kramer, your host. Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, wherever you are in the world today, welcome to the Mass Timber Construction Podcast. My name is Paul Kramer, your host, and welcome to another fantastic week in Mass Timber Construction land. Don't forget to hit subscribe. And don't forget we are now proud media sponsors for the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, oregon, in March next year, in 2025. Get your tickets now, book your exhibition space, book your hotel room, especially for the East Fund, if you want to go to the rooftop bar with convenience and then head down to your room straight after you've had a lovely meal and some drinks, and then head down to your room straight after you've had our lovely meal and some drinks. And don't forget, we're going to have Arnie on the show again before the end of the year to talk about what's happening in the conference coming up in 2025.
Speaker 1:Let's have a look at what's making news around the world this week in Mass Timber Construction Land and despite all the hype for Mass Timber and the revolutionary material and process that it is, mass timber structures offer the significant ability to decarbonize our built environment. However, there are still challenges, and there's a report that talks about the UNEP, which estimates substituting conventional materials for mass timber could reduce global emissions by 14 to 31 percent. However, uncertainty still exists around things like durability. In this particular article it's fire durability, I would argue moisture durability is up there as well. So if you want to download the latest arap fire safe design guide for mass timber buildings, you can head to our linkedin feed and look for that guide.
Speaker 1:And construction crews are preparing to transform a vacant, dusty, rectangular shaped lot alongside a second avenue in north saskatoon for the new public library. Remediation works have started on the site and shovels will start the new structure in about October of this year, anticipated for completion in 2027. The project has been under consideration for several years but has been slowed by higher than expected construction bids. The budget for the project was set at $134 million. Separate bids received in 2023 were beyond that figure and that caused some reluctance to proceed due to the inflation. The Saskatoon Public Library notes that, under its tremendous budget pressure, it remains confident that the new library will be able to deliver, based on the original proposal and you can see all the amazing concept drawings if you head to our LinkedIn feed.
Speaker 1:And Toronto's first mass timber development on city land gets its final approval. Just recently, council has approved a zoning application for the first mass timber building on the city-owned site, making the final stage of approvals from the city before construction can begin. To be located at 1113 to 1117 Dunder Street West, the 10-storey building will be part of the city's mass timber pilot program, which aims to assess the feasibility of delivering affordable rental housing within the mass timber form in order to provide needed housing requiring reduced carbon emissions, but also to support social equity issues within the city. Two of other mass timber projects, including a 12-story project in Danforth Avenue and an 18-story building on Queens Wharf, are also in planning stages, looking for approvals.
Speaker 1:And if you're designing a school in mass timber in the state of Michigan in the United States, the approval process has recently become more straightforward. The state has updated an old statute, an act 306 of 1937, that some building code officials have interpreted as a conflict with the michigan building code when it comes to mass timber in schools. The old version of the code specified only the use of fire resisting materials concrete, but not wood for school construction. Michigan enacted the out-of-date statute at the time, before the commercialization of mass timber, like cross-laminated timber and glulam, which researchers have since proven that there's excellent fire-resistance capabilities on large-scale tests of mass timber building structures, and so now it has an option for you to get your approval through in a more straightforward way. If you'd like to read more about this particular article, you can head to our LinkedIn feed.
Speaker 1:And to Australia now, and to Tasmania and a city situated in the middle of Tasmania called Launceston, and their newest office building one of the country's most sustainable is officially open. The 27 million dollar St Luke's health wellness hub in a seven story cross-lambed timber building structure that's independently assessed as having less than half the carbon footprint of a typical commercial building, is the first building that's type in Tasmania and only one of a dozen nationwide. So if you'd like to have a look at these impressive finished photos of St Luke's, you can head to our LinkedIn feed. So that's it, folks. That's all we've got time for this week in Mass Timber Construction Land.
Speaker 1:Hope you're having a great week. We'll catch up with you all very, very soon. Don't forget to hit subscribe. Don't forget to like, comment and share our content on the LinkedIn feed. Also, if you are an academic and you're looking to publish your research, the Mass Timber Construction Journal is an excellent option, with an impact factor of 1.558 and growing, and we have a great amount of articles sitting in the background at the moment being reviewed, that will come out very, very soon to support an evolution in mass timber across the planet. Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, wherever you are in the world today. This is paul kramer signing off on the Mass Timber Construction Podcast. Thank you, bye.