Low-cost Wood Frame Rural Housing
Canada Wood China and Sichuan Qingchuan government signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to develop the "Vancouver Village" Sustainable Housing Project. Using Canadian wood frame technology to build a North American style sustainable housing community, the "Vancouver Village" project is implemented in three phases. Phase one is to build three wood frame residential houses in Guanzhuang Township for WFC technical training and other public service. Phase two is to commercialize this system to more farmers. Phase three is to help diversify the types of wood frame construction including multi-family, multi-story and wood-concrete hybrid buildings for earthquake reconstruction. The lower construction cost of from RMB 700-800 of this concept contributes to simple house design, basic decoration and basic electrical wiring without affecting the overall safety standards, catered to the housing needs of rural area farmers.
Chongqing Structural In-fill Floor System Demonstration Project
 Developers in Chongqing and other urban centres have long looked for ways to meet the demands of consumers for more living space yet align with government policy aimed at reducing the average size of apartment units. One solution is to build medium and high-rise buildings in which each floor has a modest footprint (45 to 90 m2), but an internal height of 6m that will allow buyers to construct an in-fill floor at a height of approximately 3m, creating a split level to almost double the space.
Wood-joist "in-fill" floors are one example of using wood as a complimentary building material perfectly suited for this kind of renovation. The Chongqing builders and developers were impressed with the strength of wood, given its light weight. They were equally impressed with the minimal manpower required relative to steel and concrete construction, and they also liked the ease with which a wood structure can be modified.
FII China and the Canada Wood Group worked in partnership to implement this demonstration opportunity and provide Quality Assurance to a local builder for the construction of small-scale demo units in two different developments. The wood in-fill floor system and non-structural partition walls showcased in this project were proven to be faster, cleaner, more durable and cost effective then the steel and concrete methods.
Landscaping - Guangdong-British Columbia Pacific Gateway Park Project
The British Columbia Pacific Gateway Park that opened in January 2008, marks the first phase of a three-year MOU with the Guangzhou Garden Bureau, outlining a partnership in which FII China's technical experience with wood materials and construction are combined with Guangzhou Garden Bureau's design expertise to create a unique landscape environment.
As the Garden Capital of China, Guangzhou is an ideal location to develop a landscaping demonstration. BC in turn is increasingly a preferred supplier to meet China's growing demand for landscaping wood products. The park, a living monument to the long-standing friendship between the two sister provinces – Guangzhou and BC, was built on a 10,000 m2 site inside Guangzhou's Zhujiang Park, a focal point in the Zhujiang New Business District.
The Guangzhou Garden Bureau has intentions to expand the use of outdoor wood products in public greening projects and sees this partnership as a means to grow its knowledge of these products and how to use them.
Dream Home Canada Demonstration Centre (DHC)
The initial centre piece of the China program is the DHC Demonstration Centre, which serves not only as a showcase of BC wood products, but also as the consolidated office space for FII China and CWG staff. As a one-stop shop, it is both a passive and an active source of information for Chinese officials and entrepreneurs, including technical knowledge and information on wood frame construction, landscaping with wood, and materials for manufacturing and value-added wood products. DHC has drawn more than 3,000 visitors to date, and regularly introduces Chinese visitors to the warmth, beauty and utility of BC wood products and technology.
read more about the DHC Centre and its technical features, please download a copy of the DHC Demonstration Centre Case Study:
DHC Villas
The DHC Villas make up the second phase of the demonstration site. Designed to incorporate the qualities of wood frame construction and features favoured by the Chinese lifestyle, the two villas were opened in January 2007 on land adjacent to the DHC Demonstration Centre. The villas expand the demonstration program in the Jinqiao district, targeting industry professionals and consumers alike: serving as models for expanded testing of energy efficiency and climatic performance, and providing additional office space for the Canada Wood team which has outgrown the capacity of the DHC Demonstration Centre building.
Xin Zhuang Hybrid Construction Demonstration Project
 The demonstration project in the Xin Zhuang Technology Park in Shanghai consist of a typical Chinese style, two-storey concrete structure; with the addition of a third floor and roof system constructed using modern, Canadian wood frame technology. The objective of the project is to demonstrate and study the benefits of light wood frame structures, and how they can be applied to new and already existing concrete buildings.
The projects finalized in September of 2005 were carried out in co-operation between the Shanghai Research Institute of Building Science and Canada Wood.
Roof renovation Projects
FII China's first wood truss roof renovation demonstration project in Shanghai's Xu Hui District was completed in September 2006 and officially launched during Premier Campbell's mission to China in November. The project was undertaken in partnership with Shanghai's Municipal Housing, Land and Administration Bureau, Shanghai Science and Technology Committee, and Xu Hui District. The project successfully led to formal approval of the wood truss system as an alternative to the light steel system currently being used in Shanghai.
FII China and Xu Fang Construction Industry Corporation signed an MOC on further cooperation in February 2007, which includes a wood roof renovation project on a building in Tongji University and application of wood trusses in Xu Fang's roof renovation projects in Xu Hui district. Under this agreement, FII China will provide on-site technical support, quality control and train the crew of Xu Fang, who will conduct the construction.
A renovation project has also been completed in Qingdao in partnership with the Quebec Wood Export Bureau and a local developer, invited by the Qingdao authorities, who are aware of the superior performance of wood over steel in their coastal environment. The Qingdao project was part of the first phase of renovation on a site including 18 buildings and was completed by the end of January, with the official launch held on 1 February, 2007. Qingdao authorities were also particularly impressed by the speed of assembly made possible through pre-manufacturing the wood trusses at an off-site facility. Average roof construction time was less than 10 days, compared to more than six weeks for light steel.
The most recent demonstration site at Tongji University in Shanghai was completed in early April and is an example of a China-specific design option that will be widely applicable in many markets around the country. Proven to be cost competitive, yet reliable and fast, this is a model that will allow municipal governments to make the most of their renovation budgets. Furthermore, a demonstration unit located on campus at Tongji University allows visitors to see the technology first hand and gain a better understanding of the system.
Through an agreement FII China reached with the Tianjin Fire Research Institute (TFRI), work has begun on removing regulatory barriers by adding a full floor of living space to existing concrete/masonry apartment buildings. The design for this system was developed in cooperation with TFRI and a leading state-owned design institute, and is currently undergoing technical review. If officials ultimately confirm the acceptability of adding a wood frame floor and wood truss roof to existing buildings, it will lead the wood truss system to a wider field of application.
DHC Multi-Storey Hybrid Buildings
 DHC hybrid demonstration projects will showcase how wood frame construction can be used in conjunction with other building materials such as concrete and heavy steel, to create multi-story, (multi-family) or multi-purpose structures particularly suited for the Chinese market. The projects will also be used as models in the development of the first Chinese codes and standards for hybrid construction.
FII Shanghai is actively pursuing partnerships on two hybrid construction projects:
Renovation of a low-rise concrete apartment building, involving use of wood truss construction to add a pitched roof and an insulated wood frame outer skin to accommodate upgraded electrical, plumbing and communication lines and bring the building up to current energy efficiency standards.
New hybrid low-rise apartment building or townhouse. Options for hybrid construction include one story in concrete with an additional three to five stories constructed in wood and/or combination of concrete shell and interior non-load bearing wood frame walls.
Interested parties are invited to contact FII Shanghai by telephone at 021-5030-1126 or email at info@bcfii.cn.
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