Building Materials

Choosing structural materials - Wood, concrete, steel, etc.

Guide

Wooden mid rise construction time lapse video

Mid-rise construction time-lapse video with CLT & glulam beams

The construction of mid-rise projects with mass timber products like glulam beams and CLT panels is a quick, durable and cost effective way to significantly reduce embodied carbon in our cities buildings. See more in the mid-rise wood v concrete report. Located in the bustling Griffintown neighborhood of Montreal…

Wood is certainly the future of construction for mid-rise buildings in Canada

The construction of mid-rise residential buildings in Canada - wood or concrete?

In order to help the mid-rise construction sector, Ecohabitation our Quebec partners have conducted a large-scale comparative study in 2022 demonstrating that the construction of mid-rise wood buildings is a winner on all fronts for all stakeholders. The vision: a brighter future for Canada and North America through…

How to Build With Less Wood for Best Performance

How to build high performance homes with less lumber

With the cost of lumber at an all time high, and some suggesting it may hit +300%, we decided to look at how we can still build high performance yet affordable homes. The cost of lumber is at an all time high, and because of that fact, other wall assemblies are showing themselves to be more affordable in comparison…

FSC certified wood carries the FSC certification labels

All about FSC certified lumber & wood products - Why FSC certification is important

What does 'FSC Certified' mean on Wood & Lumber Products? Choosing FSC Certified Lumber and Paper Products means it comes from sustainably managed forests and helps to protect old growth forests - which is good. What is "FSC Certified" lumber? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, not-for-profit…

Hemp fibreboard and Hemp insulation - the Green Building choice

Hemp building supplies

Hemp fibreboard cabinetry materials as an alternative to standard wood boards for kitchen cabinets - why it makes Eco-friendly sense. Hemp is a very sustainable construction material that is no longer just a fringe product; rather, it is becoming a more accessible mainstream building product, most notably as…

Concrete, wood and steel structures compared - Timber Frame wins!

How wood structures compare to steel and concrete for Carbon Footprint

A life cycle analysis of the three major materials used as structural support for buildings - wood v concrete v steel - embodied carbon. Wood, steel and concrete each have specific structural advantages , each with their own characteristics. The following is a life-cycle comparison conducted by the Athena…

DLT Dowel Laminated Timber

Two new options of mass timber panels

Two new types of mass timber panels similar to cross-laminated timber are hitting the North American construction market. The commercial construction sector has warmly embraced cross-laminated timber (CLT) in recent years, taking advantage of it as the base structure, but also as a design feature. The assembly of…

Choosing between OSB or Plywood for house sheathing for Roofs, Walls & Floors.

Which is better, OSB or Plywood for Roofs, Walls & Floors?

Both Plywood & OSB have benefits & drawbacks, with much misinformation about Permeability - EcoHOME investigates the latest Data for new Code to help make the best choice. OSB v Plywood - Which is Best? Odds are, that if you pass a housing development of wood-framed houses, it will have OSB (oriented strand board)…

Stairs made from reclaimed barn beams

All about wood

The sight of a tree falling can easily trigger something even in the most unlikely environmentalist. Ignoring that visual, wood can be a much greener material choice than many others if you put some thought into selection. Finding sustainable wood: We live in a country with over 400 million hectares of forest, so…

Timber frame construction

Wood frame construction

Undeniably the most ecological framing material, wood is both a renewable resource and one that serves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used in place of other materials. The environmental advantages of wood frame construction: As just about the only renewable building material, wood has many advantages over…

Bathroom with refinished claw foot tub and barn board trim in a home c

Finding environmentally friendly materials

Green materials don’t start and end with whether or not they are recyclable or contain recycled content. There are many factors to consider when searching for sustainable materials. All materials will have a history, the pros and cons of which will need to be weighed. Unfortunately there isn’t always an obvious…

News

Greenwashing - CMA Launches a New Investigation to Recognize it and Stop It

The UK Competition and Markets Authority is investigating "Greenwashing" of Products - Good!

We dislike product "Greenwashing," so it's music to our ears that the CMA in the UK will investigate descriptions and labels used to promote products and services claiming to be ‘eco-friendly’ with Worldwide implications. So what is product Greenwashing? Greenwashing eh? Heard the one about the "Natural Insulation"…

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