Mass timber is the hot building material everyone wants to use. Speed of construction, accuracy, visually warm interiors, and low embodied carbon are just a few of the reasons people want mass timber. The construction industry as whole across Canada has shortages of skilled trades, and the budding new field of mass timber construction is no exception. Building with mass timber provides a new and unique opportunity for people entering the skilled trades.
Moses Structural Engineers is proud of our collaboration with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) to develop course materials and a full-scale mock-up for a 10-month training program for introductory and associate certificate studies in mass timber construction. The course gives students knowledge in the wide range of mass timber products and connectors while teaching them about preparation, site logistics and material handling in addition to many other topic areas.
Journal of Commerce writes:
“We are trying to fill a training gap for the mass timber sector by allowing carpenters or ironworkers to enhance their expertise with specific skills and knowledge,” says Ciprian Pirvu of the School of Construction and the Environment at BCIT.
“Called the Associate Certificate in Construction of Mass Timber Structures, the program has four online courses covering construction planning and rigging/hoisting to moisture management and mass timber installation techniques.
In the fifth segment, students apply what they have learned in the assembly of a two-storey mass timber mock-up, a structure designed by a team led by Moses Structural Engineers, Pirvu says. The structure includes cross-laminated timber, nail-laminated timber and other mass timber components along with various connections and hardware.”
Click here for the full article to learn more about this initiative.
Forward thinking of the leaders in mass timber training across Canada including the College of Carpenters in Toronto, ON and BCIT in Burnaby, BC are planning ahead to train our workforce.
Are you thinking of building with mass timber and want to learn more? We regularly post updates on tall wood, mass timber and hybrid buildings on our blog.
For more examples of Moses Structural Engineers leadership in mass timber design see:
Canada’s first CLT building and first registered passive house
Ontario’s first use of cross-laminated timber (CLT)
Ontario’s first demountable mass timber building
Ontario’s first 6-storey mass timber residential rental building
Ontario’s Tall Wood Reference: Developing Alternative Solutions Under Ontario’s Building Code
College of Carpenters and Allied Trades Mass Timber Training