 Canadians enjoy the highest standard of safe and comfortable housing in the world. This is not by chance - wood-frame construction is the residential building system of choice and many countries wishing to improve the comfort and security of their citizens are adopting it.
Wood is nature's perfect building material for many reasons: Affordability, Safety and Comfort.
Wood is not only desirable and beautiful but it is affordable. When you consider all the features of wood - durability, thermal efficiency and acoustic quality, it is clear that wood is the building material of choice. Modern buildings constructed with wood are engineered with strength and style but more importantly, these structures can be built economically and designed to last.
Wood is strong, reliable and safe. Wood has a high strength to weight ratio. This means that wooden structures can hold up heavy snow loads but are light enough so that earthquakes have much less effect. Research has proven that a heavy timber structure will hold its strength in a fire while a steel structure will lose its strength in as little as 10 minutes.
Wood provides a warm, natural setting and level of comfort that no other building material can match. Wooden structures are pleasant to be and the positive environment created by wood is scientifically proven to a beneficial effect on hospital patients feeling better and in schools helping students perform better.
Content for the Building With Wood section originally developed by the CWC - www.cwc.ca
The Canadian Wood Council CWC is the national association representing Canadian manufacturers of wood products used in construction. Through its member Associations, the Council represents those manufacturers. CWC's mission is to maintain and expand markets for Canadian wood products. CWC accomplishes this by working with building codes and standards and by developing and communicating technical information to architects, engineers and builders.
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