ASt.Thomasmanufacturerisattheforefrontofwhatmaybecomearevolutioninthebuildingsector.
Element5manufactureswoodbeamsandpanelsusedinbuildingconstruction.Thecompanydesigns andcutspanelsthatbecomewallsandceilings.Theyareflat-packed,andshippedtoaconstructionsite wheretheyareassembledtomakeabuilding,allfromwood.
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Butthemostrevolutionarypartmaybetheideathatmakingabuildingusingengineered,laminated masstimberismoreenvironmentallyfriendlythantraditionaltechniques.
“Thisisgoodfortheplanet,andweneedtoradicallychangehowwebuildbuildings.Masstimberisa waywecandothat,”saidSarahHicks,managerofmarketingandcommunicationsatElement5.“Wood issustainable,renewable,andsteelandconcretearenot.”
CarolPhillips,anarchitectwithTorontofirmMoriyama&TeshimaArchitects,knowsElement5well, havingdesignedthreemasstimberbuildings.Sheisdesigningtwomore.
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“It’sremarkable,it’sinfluencingmypracticeandhowIwork,”shesaid.“It’srootedinlowcarbonand renewableenergy.We’rethegatekeeperstoreducecarbonemissionsintheindustry.”
Theconstructionindustrycontributesabout40percentofallglobalCO2emissionsandsteeland concrete,aboutfivepercenteachofthattotal.Masstimbercanreducethattotal,Phillipssaid.
“Theamountofcarboninvolvedinmasstimberissogreatlyreducedfromtraditionalmaterialslikesteel andconcrete,”shesaid,andit’salsobeautiful.
ChrisLatour,vice-presidentofoperationsatElement5,standsinsideawindowcut-out for awall made withlaminatedmass timberatthecompany’s plantinSt.Thomas.(DerekRuttan/TheLondonFreePress)
Element5structuresareindemand,Hickssaid.Thecompanybeganproductionlessthanayearago,in April2021,andalreadyhassold50projectswithforecaststodoubleordersthisyear,saidLeeScott, salesandbusinessdevelopmentmanageratElement5.
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Thecompanyhasaddedasecondshiftandrecentlyboughtaparceloflandadjacenttoitsfactoryon DennisRoad,forfuturegrowth.“Masstimberconstructionisinaperiodofrapidexpansion,”Scottsaid.
Element5hasbuiltwoodenstructuresacrossOntarioandislookingtoexpandintotheU.S.market.It employsmorethan70workers,havinghiredaboutfiveinthelastmonth.
“Ourpotentialforgrowthisenormous.Theforecastisverystrong,”Hickssaid.
Element5’sbuildingtechniqueis“costcompetitive”withsteelandconcreteandmuchfastertobuild,she said.WhenitlandedadealtobuildthenewYWCAinKitchener,thematerialwasonsiteinsixmonths andthebuildingwasupin20days,Hickssaid.
Italsohasbuilt anewIndigenousfamilycentreonHillStreet inLondon,calledNshwaasnangongChild CareandFamilyCentre,operatedbytheSouthwestOntarioAboriginalHealthAccessCentre.
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“Thetechnologyavailabletocreatepre-fabpanelshasevolvedandwehaveadoptedthattechnology. Pre-manufacturingsolutionsarefaster,safeandtheresultsareprecise,”Hickssaid.
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https://lfpress.com/business/local-business/a-better-way-to-build-area-company-at-forefront-of-move-to-mass-timber
Element5usesmostlytwo-by-sixsectionsofspruce,pineandfir.Itlaminatestogethersectionsaslarge as16metreslong,3.5metreswideand40centimetresthick,shesaid.
“Wemakepanelsandcutouteverything.Wedesignalltheopeningsforconnectionsrequiredfor electricalorplumbingdowntothelastscrewhole.Thepanelsarecutouttobeaperfectfit,flatpacked andshipped,”Hickssaid.
Masstimberisnottobeconfusedwiththewoodframeconstructiononewouldseeforhomesin subdivisionsbeingbuilt.Thatiscalled“lightwoodframe”construction.
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SomeElement5builds:
Nshwaasnangongchild-careandfamilycentre,HillStreet,London
EastGwillimburyaffordablehousing
IndigenousstudentcentreatWilfridLaurierUniversity,Waterloo
YWCAhousing,Waterloo
TorontoandRegionConservationAuthorityoffice,Toronto
PortStanleyfirehall
Oakvillefirestation
Orilliawaterfrontcentre
WOODin,30,000squarefootofficebuilding,Waterloo
Element5makestwoproducts,largewoodpanelslaminatedtogetherfromwhichwallsandceilingscan beassembled,aswellaswoodlaminatedtogethertomakebeams.
“They’rewinningsbidsagainstotherbuilders.They’redoingamazingthings,”saidSeanDyke,economic developmentchiefexecutiveinSt.Thomas.“They’rebuildingacrossOntario.They’redoingwell.”
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Asforthesafetyanddurabilityofwoodasabuildingmaterial,masstimberundergoesrigoroustesting andcertification,complyingwithbuildingstandards,Hickssaid.
“Weconformtobuildingandsafetycodesthesameasothermaterials.It’ssafe,andtheconstructionis precise,”shesaid.
Oneconstructionindustrywebsitenaturallywood.comcitedafireresistancestudyofmasstimberand founditexceededbuildingcodestandardevenwithoutfireresistantcladdingonthewoodsurface.
In2015,thenationalbuildingcodeallowedwoodstructurestobebuilttoaheightofsixstoreys.InB.C. woodconstructionof12storeysisallowedandthereissupporttohavethenationalbuildingcode changedtoreflectthis.InsomeU.S.statesandinEuropemasstimbersbuildingsare18storeys.
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Asforthesmallerenvironmentalfootprintforawoodstructure,whileconcreteandsteelcreatecarbon intheirmanufacturingprocesses,masstimbercapturesandstorescarbonasforestsgrow.
A2019studybytheYaleSchooloftheEnvironmentfoundthatahybridmasstimberbuildingachieved 26.5percentlowerglobalwarmingpotentialthanaconcretebuilding.Thatsamestudyalsocited environmentalistssayingmasstimberneedsmorestudybeforeitcanbedeclaredsustainable.
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ButforPhillips,masstimberhasmanypositivequalities,ason-siteconstructionisfast,itcanbe assembledduringcoldweather,constructionsitesarequietandthematerialisstrongbutlightweight.
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https://lfpress.com/business/local-business/a-better-way-to-build-area-company-at-forefront-of-move-to-mass-timber
“I’mfan.I’masupporter.Ithassomuchpotential,”shesaid.
Element5hasbeenmentionedinadocumentarycalledCapturingCarbonabouttheclimatecrisisand theroleforestsplayinmanagingthecrisis.
Element5hasa137,000-square-footfactoryonaneight-hectareparceloflandandrecentlyaddeda similar-sizedportionoflandafewmonthsago.ItsourcesitswoodfromnorthernOntario.
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WhatThey Said:
“Themasstimberindustryisplaguedwithmisconceptionsaboutbuildingwithwood, thatitburns,doesnotlastandisnotstructurallysound.Thereissufficientresearch, testingandcertificationthatprovesthosearemisconceptions.”
–PatrickChouinard,vice-presidentofbusinessdevelopmentforElement5“Thisisanew,innovativesector.Masstimbercanbeahugepartoftheglobalsolutionto theclimateemergencywearefacing.”
–PaulRobitaille,seniordirector,IndigenousandyouthrelationsattheSustainable ForestryInitiative
Victim's family speaks out as ex-teacher who skipped sentencing arrested
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