Green light to go higher: slow uptake on wood mid-rises in Ontario.

AuthorRoss, Ian
PositionDesign-Build

It's a steep learning curve for Ontario's construction and design community to adapt to building wood mid-rises.

Despite changes to the Ontario Building Code last January allowing six-storey wood buildings, up from the previous limit of four, there's been no surge of building activity as architects, contractors and clients are still warming to the idea of this new, elevated, green building option.

"It's a question of moving an entire industry," said Steven Street, a technical advisor for Woodworks, a division of the Canadian Wood Council. "It takes time."

The code changes are similar to that of British Columbia, the first province to adopt mid-rise woodframe buildings in 2009. But in Ontario, there are more stringent safety requirements requiring the use of non-combustible materials in areas like stairwells.

"It's not just a question of the code changing," said Street, "there's a lot of information which architects and engineers have to process in coming up with the right materials and structural solutions to make it happen."

No exact figures are available on the number of wood mid-rises nearing the construction phase across the province, but Street estimates about a half-dozen projects are close to the permitting stage at the municipal level.

Of the developments that are close to the construction, most are taking place in the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge and Hamilton where planners have embraced wood buildings as a viable option to build sustainable and affordable housing to fill space in high-density areas.

Street, who has spoken at mid rise seminars across Ontario, said the design community is excited about the code changes and he anticipates greater activity by next spring.

While wood-framed houses are largely commonplace, Mike Baldinelli, a structural engineer and a principal at Strik Baldinelli Moniz in London, Ont., has encountered trepidation among clients in going to six stories.

For those developers experienced in building three and fourstorey wood buildings, "it's a nobrainer to go to she."

"What I'm finding--and it's tough--a lot of people are scared to build out of wood because they've never built out of wood. People are hesitant to take that leap because they just don't know."

Baldinelli's firm is a leader in this construction having designed about 20 of the four-storey variety for clients over the past eight years.

In downtown London, his firm has designed a 69-unit, six-storey affordable housing...

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