Wood and organic materials

Mid-rise construction time-lapse video with CLT & glulam beams

The construction of mid-rise projects with mass timber products like glulam beams and CLT panels is a quick, durable and cost effective way to significantly reduce embodied carbon in our cities buildings. See more in the mid-rise wood v concrete report. Located in the bustling Griffintown neighborhood of Montreal…

The construction of mid-rise residential buildings in Canada - wood or concrete?

In order to help the mid-rise construction sector, Ecohabitation our Quebec partners have conducted a large-scale comparative study in 2022 demonstrating that the construction of mid-rise wood buildings is a winner on all fronts for all stakeholders. The vision: a brighter future for Canada and North America through…

Wood and organic materials

How to build high performance homes with less lumber

With the high cost of lumber, we decided to look at how we can still build high performance yet affordable homes. The cost of lumber is at an all time high, and because of that fact, other wall assemblies are showing themselves to be more affordable in comparison. So it’s a great time to highlight a few…

Wood and organic materials

All about FSC certified lumber & wood products - Why FSC certification is important

What does 'FSC Certified' mean on Wood & Lumber Products? Choosing FSC Certified Lumber and Paper Products means it comes from sustainably managed forests and helps to protect old growth forests - which is good. What is "FSC Certified" lumber? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, not-for-profit…

Wood and organic materials

Hemp building supplies

Hemp fibreboard cabinetry materials as an alternative to standard wood boards for kitchen cabinets - why it makes Eco-friendly sense. Hemp is a very sustainable construction material that is no longer just a fringe product; rather, it is becoming a more accessible mainstream building product, most notably as…

Wood and organic materials

Two new options of mass timber panels

Two new types of mass timber panels similar to cross-laminated timber are hitting the North American construction market. The commercial construction sector has warmly embraced cross-laminated timber (CLT) in recent years, taking advantage of it as the base structure, but also as a design feature. The assembly of…

Wood and organic materials

Which is better, OSB or plywood for roofs, walls & floors?

Both plywood & OSB have benefits & drawbacks, with much misinformation about permeability - Ecohome investigates the latest data for new code to help make the best choice. OSB v plywood - which is best? Odds are, that if you pass a housing development of wood-framed houses, it will have OSB (oriented strand board)…

Wood and organic materials

All about wood

The sight of a tree falling can easily trigger something even in the most unlikely environmentalist. Ignoring that visual, wood can be a much greener material choice than many others if you put some thought into selection. Finding sustainable wood: We live in a country with over 400 million hectares of forest, so…

Wood and organic materials

Wood frame construction

Undeniably the most ecological framing material, wood is both a renewable resource and one that serves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used in place of other materials. The environmental advantages of wood frame construction: As a renewable building material, wood has many advantages over other materials…