Home to one of the world’s most sustainable and globally-competitive forest sectors, B.C. is actively taking steps to advance the use of wood. New products and systems with unmatched characteristics of sustainability, flexibility, strength, emotional, and technical qualities have expanded wood based designs and products.

The Pier D expansion at the Vancouver International Airport is YVR’s largest terminal expansion since 1996. FraserWood, Cast Connex, and Bush, Bohlman & Partners coordinated to provide the turned and tapered columns along with the custom cast connections. This session will examine the design challenges associated with custom cast connections, as well as transportation and erection of the structure.

Just opened on the beautiful southern Vancouver Island, the Malahat Skywalk is an accessible 650m treetop walk through a beautiful arbutus forest leading to a spectacular gentle spiral ramp that takes you up 40m to a sightseeing lookout offering views of Finlayson Arm and the distant Coast Mountains. This session will also feature the Malahat Skywalk’s design challenges and structural solutions as constructed by Kinsol Timber Systems and the project team.

1. Examine the design challenges with custom cast connections on large wood columns, and the erection of these structures
2. Examine the design challenges, structural solutions and erection process of a 10-storey wood structure skywalk and viewing platform
3. Learn about the manufacturing processes of turned and tapered glulam columns and custom timber components
4. Examine consideration for handling not just round, but tapered wood columns and packaging for transport