Introduction

Early in 2007, Mongolia’s Ministry of Road, Transport, Construction and Urban Development, in an effort to improve housing, energy efficiency and air quality, recognized the need for new, modern housing solutions. After much research and review of building systems from around the world, the government selected Canada’s wood frame building as the best fit for Mongolia’s needs.

In 2007, the Mongolian government adopted “Wood Frame Building Code” /БНбД-31-09-07/, which is based on Part 9 of the Building Code of Canada.

Since 2008, the “Canadian Wood Frame Housing Project” has been implemented in Mongolia. The project’s strongly supported by Forestry Innovation Investment (FII) of Canada. Ministry of Construction, Mongolian University of Science and Technology and British Columbia Institute of Technology are partnered on the project.

In July 2008, two demonstration homes were completed with funding from FII. Both units were built with Canadian structural lumber and OSB, with finishing materials sourced in Mongolia. The demonstration homes were built on the local campus of Training and Research Institute of forestry and wood industry, MUST.