Wooden buildings with up to 12 storeys coming to Quebec

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard announced on Monday that Quebec will allow lumber to be used in the construction of buildings with up to 12 storeys.

The announcement was made alongside Hon. Sam Hamad, minister of labour, employment and social solidarity, and Mr. Pierre Lapointe, president and CEO of FPInnovations. The government of Quebec relied on FPInnovations’ scientific expertise to create the newly unveiled technical guide Bâtiments de construction massive en bois d'au plus 12 étages (Construction of Mass Timber Buildings Up to 12 Storeys).

Thanks to the manual, Lapointe says, “The Quebec construction industry now has the knowledge necessary to design and construct buildings to the highest possible standards of safety using wood, an abundant and renewable natural resource and a cornerstone of the Québec economy.”

Currently provinces like Ontario and British Columbia allow lumber to be used in the construction of up to six storeys, but research in Canada and abroad has proven it is possible to construct taller wooden buildings. A Quebec-based consortium (created by builder EBC, Nordic Engineered Wood and Synchro Immobilier) has already announced the construction of a 13-storey building in the Pointe-aux-Lièvres eco-district in Québec City, with 12 of its floors to be made of wood.

Photo courtesy of Origine