Mass timber buildings are being built in other B.C. communities, but a project is yet to be proposed in Delta.
The B.C. government recently announced it is providing more than $4 million for 12 new mass-timber demonstration and research projects throughout the province.
There are eight demonstration building projects and four research projects receiving funding from the third intake of the Mass Timber Demonstration Program (MTDP). The projects range from a new indoor aquatic centre in Golden to a mixed-use development featuring an 18-storey mass-timber tower in Vancouver’s Killarney neighbourhood.
The primary load-bearing structure in mass timber buildings is made of solid or engineered wood.
Mass timber buildings can be engineered for strength by fastening together layers of smaller-dimension wood with glue, dowels or nails, a process that can deliver as much as seven times the economic value when compared to milling logs for lumber, according to the province.
The province also says larger-diameter trees are not needed to make mass timber.
The province has invited municipalities, including the City of Delta, to sign on as mass timber construction early adopters in the Provincial Office of Housing and Construction Standards Mass Timber Early Adopter Initiative.
In 2020, council agreed to sign an expression of interest, but also added conditions.
A Delta staff report two years ago noted Delta Fire and Emergency Services supports design elements that utilize passive fire protection, active fire detection and suppression techniques equal to or better than the B.C. Building Code.
Any project would also be subject to the requirement for a Construction Fire Safety Plan.
Delta’s fire department also supported the same fire protection standards that the Vancouver Fire Department required for the new Brock Commons, a 12-storey mass timber project at the University of B.C.
Council also agreed with a staff recommendation for a city requirement for independent reviews by professional licensees for submitted structural designs as part of building permit applications.
