Canada: a world full of wooden houses

Years ago, seven of our domestic media to accept the invitation of the Canadian wood industry, went to the Vancouver area of Canada to visit and interview the wood structure of the building, especially the wood structure of the civil housing. In the days of Canada's stay, whether in the airport terminal, light rail stations, or in hotels, communities, streets, full of eyes touched by the unique shape, rustic and heavy, pleasing to the eye of the wood structure of the premises and wood products, as if into a world of wood.

Canada's high utilization rate of wood, and the richness of Canada's forest resources are inseparable. Canada's land area in the world ranked second, greater than China, which accounts for about one-third of the forested area, which does not include trees in the wetlands and slow-growing scattered tree distribution. Tree species are dominated by fir and Douglas fir, with straight trunks and high usable value. Canada, in addition to the main urban areas of major cities, almost all covered with forests, and the vast majority of primary forests and primary secondary forests, residential homes around the same, really let us from the lack of forest resources in the country's journalists envy.

Wood construction has a long history in Canada, and has been improved and refined over the years to the point where it is now an important part of local life and Canadian culture. Today, 90% of Canadian homes are wood-framed, and wood-framed buildings are ubiquitous in commercial and public **** buildings. In Canada, it can be said that there are buildings with wood structures.

In forest-rich Canada, people are attracted to wood houses, due to an important thinking, they believe that wood houses are not only comfortable and cozy to live in, but also in the environmental protection, energy saving features embodied in a significant. Previously, Tsinghua University, a research report pointed out that, compared with the current mainstream concrete structure, lightweight steel structure building, wood frame house energy-saving effect. Relevant experts said that the promotion of wood-frame houses may be a breakthrough in creating energy-saving cities. Tsinghua University, the Department of Building Technology Sciences, the results of another study show that in the Shanghai area, wood-framed houses heating energy consumption than light steel houses 27.1% lower than the concrete structure of the house 31.3% lower. Wood framing is an important form of construction that Canadians rely on for their livelihoods, and it's based on more aesthetic elegance than one might expect. In Vancouver's foggy, wet winters, we actually see and feel these advantages. The wooden houses there are all like works of art, almost no repetition of the same design, just like children playing with blocks, can be built according to their own preferences, appearing different styles, beautiful. Especially those with different textures and materials of different wood, in the structure of the building, suddenly like a life like, appear to be so bright, lovely and dear.

Wood construction in Canada, there is no "small farm economy" type of manual operation, become industrialized, large-scale, intensive production products, advanced wood processing technology to make wood construction more vitality. We have visited two modern wood processing plants. One is the Reichler Wood Processing Plant in Prince George, Greater Vancouver. The plant specializes in the production of wood studs, the "tendons" in the middle of wood walls that we talk about in our daily renovations, with an annual production capacity of about 40,000 cubic metres. The factory from the logs on the material to the industry specifications uniform, round and smooth studs, are computer-controlled automated production line to complete. Its product "specialization", the high degree of automation of its production, workers in the production of comfort and ease, breathtaking. The other is the Kanfo Cork Processing Plant, which is what we call a plywood plant, specializing in the production of wood-framed house exterior walls, floors and roofs. In the assembly line, a large log in the shape of a pencil sharpening rotating blades, like peeling dexterity, will be peeled into a thin paper-like wood pieces of continuous extension, the annual output of about 50,000 cubic meters.

Canada's wood processing plants, specializing in distinctive features, is basically a wood structure building "parts" producers. And builders are different manufacturers of "parts" according to the house owners of architectural design, aesthetic interest, living requirements assembled, you can decorate the wood frame house.

In Canada, the cost of residential housing is not very high, from low-grade to high-grade, the cost per square meter is about 1,000 Canadian dollars to 5,000 Canadian dollars, or RMB 6,000 yuan per square meter to 30,000 yuan. But it is worth mentioning that this cost is a higher level of "fine decoration" cost, including wall paint brushed bright and clean, the carpet is laid flat and proper, the kitchen cabinets, stoves arranged in place, air conditioning or geothermal devices debugging is complete, the refrigerator, sanitary ware, lamps and lanterns or even washing machine placement, the owners of their own furniture to buy a good can move in.

Perhaps these attentive service and the concept of advanced construction, practicality, Canada's log cabin has now successfully entered Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea's residential sector, the world's traditional construction concepts have had a small impact.

The appearance of anything can not be perfect, there are always flaws. The stereotypes of thinking did not fully convince us of Canadian wood construction. However, when we visited the Department of Forestry at the University of North Columbia, the National Institute of Forestry and Industry of Canada and GBL Architects of Canada, we worried about a series of problems related to fire prevention, earthquake, corrosion, waterproofing, pest control, etc., have long been in the scope of their research horizons, and the effectiveness of the results are significant and fruitful. In addition, almost all the difficult issues in the field of wood construction that are difficult for people to understand have been solved by them in their research and experiments. Thus, we have to be convinced by the breadth and scope of their field of concern.

At present, with the development and growth of China's economy, the Chinese people on the building needs more and more tend to diversity, Canada's kind of "excellent wooden house", there will be people thirst and demand. Canada's wood industry is to follow the trend, in order to enter the Chinese market and the design and organization of the "big unit". By the Canadian government and the Canadian Forestry Association jointly organized, under the banner of a large number of enterprises, including lumber, horticultural materials, doors and windows and other wood processing products manufacturing enterprises. An important goal of the organization is to develop low-rise wood-frame housing in China using advanced wood-frame construction technology and to provide product information. It also provides Chinese developers and builders with services in wood frame design, construction and acceptance. Now, Canada Wood's head office is located in Shanghai Pudong Development Zone, and set up an office in Beijing, but also in Shanghai, Beijing, respectively, built a wood structure building display demonstration area.

Canada Wood landed in China three years after the Canadian wood products to China's annual export growth rate of basic in 30% - 40%. To 2004, the amount of Canadian wood exports to China each year has reached 150 million Canadian dollars. China's annual commercial housing construction area of almost 1 billion square meters of new construction, is the most promising Canadian wood trade as one of the emerging markets of the country.

Wood construction is not just for small detached homes; in Canada, many multi-storey apartment buildings use or are partially built with wood. One of the models in Beijing's wood-frame building demonstration area is for the Beijing municipal government's "flat to slopes" project to provide a program to add a wooden roof and attic to the original concrete structure of the cottage. This not only solves the problem of leaking roofs in old houses, but also increases the space of the house and plays a role in energy saving and beautification. Shanghai Pudong Development Zone of the dream home, in order to reflect the advantages of wood in landscape design, specializing in wood processing made of traditional Chinese arches, window panes and Western-style terrace, garden tables and chairs, to create a natural and harmonious leisure atmosphere.

Paul Newman, President of the Canadian Wood Industry Association. Newman (Paul Newman) told reporters that now, Canadians are taking a positive attitude to promote this excellent type of construction in China. After just helping the Ministry of Construction develop the Wood Structure Design Code, CANADA WOOD (Canadian Wood Industry Association) is embarking on further initiatives. For example, it is helping to realize a 205-block wood-frame detached housing project in Shanghai, and it will work with Tsinghua University to complete energy-saving comparison experiments of various structural forms. Paul. Newman said Canada, with its rich forest resources, as well as more than 100 years of history of experience in the production of forest products, is willing to participate in the construction of housing in China, they believe that the world's wood-frame houses introduced to the Chinese occupants.