PRINCE GEORGE – The Province of BC has recently announced a $4.5-million joint federal-provincial investment that will accelerate innovation in timber engineering and development of wood products at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).
Of the $4.5-million investment:
- $1.88 million from the Government of Canada;
- $2.62 million from the Government of British Columbia; and
- The City of Prince George is providing land for the facility in downtown Prince George, adjacent to the Wood Innovation and Design Centre.
The Wood Innovation Research Lab will be used by students in the master of engineering in integrated wood design program and the BC leadership chair in tall wood and hybrid structures engineering.
The one-storey, 900 square-metre (9,680 square-foot) building will create a state-of-the-art wood-engineering research facility. The new building will expand possibilities for collaboration with external researchers and industry by providing unique capabilities for testing and researching wood structures. It will include a wood conditioning and processing room, office and seminar/classroom space, and a research lab that can also be used for teaching.
Construction will meet requirements under the Wood First Act, and will incorporate a high-performance building envelope that strives for Passive House certification. Structures built to this certification may cut their heating energy consumption by up to 90%, and overall energy consumption between 60% and 70%.
The new lab will provide additional dedicated research and classroom space for UNBC, which currently occupies the first three floors of the adjacent Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC) that opened in October 2014. WIDC was created as a gathering place for researchers, academics, design professionals and others interested in generating ideas for innovative uses of wood. In addition to UNBC, WIDC also houses the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations.
Construction is slated to get under way in early 2017, generating 15 direct and 11 indirect jobs, with substantial completion expected by spring 2018.
