HOMES AND PUBLIC SPACES - Built to Last

Wood has long been the preferred construction material for many building types around the world. While residential housing has been the traditional backbone of wood construction, builders in many countries are using it for commercial buildings, public and recreational facilities, and industrial buildings.

Builders appreciate wood’s versatility, durability, low environmental impact and cost effectiveness. A wood structure with a finished interior can be built faster, with fewer people on site, which means units are completed and occupied more quickly.

Caption: Countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russian and coun­tries across Europe - from Ireland to Germany and the United Kingdom to Sweden, Norway and Finland - build with wood.

Caption: Most recently, China, Taiwan and now Mongolia, have adopted new wood-frame building codes, recognizing the many benefits that wood construction offers.

Caption: Designers and builders are relying on the flexibility of wood frame construc­tion to create cost effective housing in a wide array of sizes and styles.

While residential development has been the backbone of wood frame construction…now we see wood in office and commercial buildings – in schools and community centers – and in factories and warehouses.

More creative and efficient use of wood frame construction is bringing the world of wood to multiple types of housing. Townhouses, apartment buildings and condominium homes often have wood structural framing, flooring, roofing and stairs.

Wood is also an excellent choice for small office buildings, warehouses and other commercial buildings. Modular wood buildings can be erected rapidly to create large and complex wood buildings like factories and warehouses. Industrial buildings are especially suited to this kind of construction where building systems such as roofing structures are repeated.

Caption: Traditional wood building practices and the advanced use of engineered wood products blend the warmth and beauty of wood with the most structurally advanced requirements.