By Dave Barthel

The world’s tallest wooden structure can be found right here in Canada. The University of British Columbia’s Brock Commons student residence rises 18 storeys and houses over 400 students. Erected in only 66 days, the project minimized labour and resulted in a 2,432-metric ton reduction in CO2 emissions, equivalent to taking 500 cars off the road for a year.

The 2020 National Building Code of Canada is allowing for taller structures using mass timber building components. And with large, sustainably managed forests right in our own backyards, there’s no reason not to. With growing concerns about renewable resources and carbon footprints, wood is set to be used more and more in modern construction. The 2020 Code has an increased focus on sustainability and industry is looking for materials to give them additional LEED credits – and mass timber products can help with that.

Mass timber products – including cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail-laminated timber (NLT), glue-laminated timber (Glulam), and dowel-laminated timber (DLT) – are becoming more common in modern construction. These products are deemed structural components and have been proven in fire tests to far exceed the 2 hour fire rating requirement for building codes.

In addition, building with wood is faster due to pre-manufacturing off site with assembly significantly reducing project timelines. Working like this allows subcontractors to begin working on lower floors faster, allowing for project efficiencies and reducing costs.

With Efficiencies and Cost Savings Come New Risks and Liabilities

Being on the cutting edge of tall building advances certainly has its benefits, but it also has some risks. Some of the issues to be aware of are:

  1. Suppliers: The supply of mass timber product is limited. There may not be enough proven manufacturers of mass timber products to provide product for all general contractors looking to build EMTC buildings. With the National Building Code of Canada and the BC Building Code, we can anticipate that there will be a significant increase in demand for mass timber components, and a limited supply could present challenges. Construction interruptions and delays caused by lack of supply create a new risk for contactors.
  2. Workers: An increased number of workers will need to be familiar with, and be trained in, the installation of mass timber products. It may be challenging for general contractors trying to staff a project in the short term. Workplace injuries, lack of technically trained staff, and worker shortages can impact project timelines and increase liability and contract commitment shortfalls for contractors. On the other hand, with potential decreases in construction traffic, and the pre-manufacturing process, there may also be potential worker safety improvements on EMTC sites.
  3. Performance Issues: Your building is only as strong its individual parts. In other words, ensuring the manufacturer’s product is of the highest quality is imperative. If the manufacturer doesn’t meet the design specifications, the components can potentially fail. In a recent project, a manufacturing deficiency led to a collapse, requiring the replacement of multiple mass timber components. This delayed the project, led to increased costs, and opened up the project to expensive legal issues. Considering vendor quality control standards and liability for construction defect is a key risk mitigation step contractors should take to reduce liability.

Insurance

On the insurance side, the big question is rate. These tall wooden structures constitute a new category of construction. They aren’t wood frame, non-combustible, or concrete. Pricing a new type of construction – both during the Certificate of Conformance/Conformity phase and once it’s occupied – can be challenging.

Also, because there isn’t a long history of claims associated with tall wooden structures, there are a lot of unknowns. How will water or fire damage claims of EMTC buildings be different from current claims processes? How easily can components be repaired or replaced as compared with another kind of building materials? Claims in EMTC buildings will be closely monitored in the near future.

Although mass timber products have been around for some time, due to recent code changes the Canadian construction industry will see more and more of these tall EMTC buildings. Although some insurance providers may hesitate at this risk, with the right broker, you can embrace this new building type and set your sights higher.

HUB International’s construction experts are available to work with you to help you understand the risks associated with tall wood structures, both during construction and after.