by Doug Clawson

May 30, 2013

Original Source: Lab Notes

At the Forest Products Laboratory we will tell you there are all sorts of advantages to “going green” and using wood to construct buildings.

Thanks to Michael Green, and the company that bears his name, Michael Green Architecture (MGA), this is beginning to happen in a very big way.

Work has started on what will be North America’s tallest wood building. The Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC) will be located in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. The six-story, 90-foot structure (pictured) will showcase the latest in wood construction. It is targeted to be finished by September, 2014.

Says the pioneering Green: “What has allowed us to move to this new kind of building is the use of mass timber panels. These materials come in huge sheet sizes that are thick enough that they have an inherent fire resistance.”