Think Again! B.C. Government Urged to Rethink Tall Wood Policy

PNBRC- March 19, 2019 – The Government of British Columbia needs to make wood building safety a priority says the Cement Association of Canada (CAC).

In a statement issued today,  Michael McSweeney, President and CEO of the Cement Association expressed surprise at the recent announcement by the BC government that it would bypass the ongoing 2020 National Building Code of Canada (“NBCC”) processes and allow municipalities to issue building permits for encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC) up to 12 storeys.

The Building Code review process is not yet complete, noted the CAC. Of greatest concern, especially in the context of high seismic zones in BC, is that there are, as of yet, no approved seismic design specifications for 12 storey cross-laminated timber buildings in the 2020 NBCC. These discussions are currently ongoing and recommendations will not be approved until later this year.

There is a significant amount of evidence available that refutes wood industry claims about tall wood building safety, earthquake resistance, resilient construction and environmental performance that needs to be closely examined in a transparent way.

“While the BC Government’s intent to increase market share for BC wood products is understandable, and while the Cement Association supports the Horgan Government’s actions to address a severe affordable housing situation, allowing municipalities to approve 12 storey encapsulated mass timber construction in the absence of approved seismic specifications for this form of construction is premature,” said McSweeney.

“These discussions are currently ongoing and no decision or recommendations for the use of encapsulated mass timber construction has been made by the NBCC. Canada’s codes and standards system is the envy of the world and all governments should support the development of rigorous codes that hold the trust of the people and protect its citizens,” he added.

Setting aside the wood industry’s environmental claims, which has been noted in several reports by the Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition, and is being increasingly called into question by academics, national environmental groups and building professionals, McSweeney further stated, “In the majority of towns where we see lumber mills, we also see sand pits, quarries and ready mixed concrete plants, so the government’s action is simply ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, shifting jobs, rather than creating new ones. Governments should not be in the business of picking ‘winners or losers’ over competing building materials.”

Further consultations with construction, building materials sectors are urgently needed and no permits should be issued until the National Building Code of Canada has approved recommendations on 12 storey wood buildings located in seismic areas

Speaking directly about the Brock Commons Building, which is often referred to as a tall wood building, McSweeney said he wanted to set the record straight.

“UBC’s Brock Commons is in truth a composite building, with a significant amount of reinforced concrete used for the foundation, the ground floor podium, the twin elevator shafts and pre-cast concrete stairwells that form the concrete cores. The cross-laminated  timber relies on the stiff concrete cores for stability.”

“Without concrete, the building would not be able to support itself. In addition, concrete was used to cover the wood floors and two layers of heavy fire resistant drywall were applied to encapsulate all of the wood construction,” he added.

Without concrete, UBC’s Brock Commons would not be able to support itself

Speaking on behalf of all CAC members, McSweeney called on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to urgently meet with all members of the building materials industry and to put  an immediate pause on any regulations for 12 storey encapsulated mass timber buildings which, at this time, bypass the work of the 2020 National Building Code Seismic Committee whose  deliberations are currently ongoing with  no recommendations finalized.

About The Cement Association of Canada
The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) is the voice of Canada’s cement manufacturers. The industry provides a reliable, domestic supply of cement required to build Canada’s communities and critical infrastructure. The CAC and its members are committed to the environmentally responsible manufacturing of cement and concrete products. In British Columbia, the CAC’s members are Lafarge Canada Inc. and Lehigh Hanson Canada. The cement and concrete industry contributes an estimated 23,000 direct and indirect jobs and $11 billion in direct, indirect and induced economic impacts to the province of BC. Read more:

About the Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition
The Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition is a gathering of organizations, primarily in the cement, concrete and masonry industries, committed to furthering the planning, development, and construction of buildings and associated infrastructure better able to recover from and to adapt to the growing impacts of an ever-changing urban and physical environment. The Building Resilience Coalition works with a number of organizations that share our values about building more resilient communities. Our membership includes organizations in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta. Read More: