ARC480H1 F1
Instructor: Ted Kesik
Meeting Section: L0102
Fall 2023

Overview:

Wood is one of the oldest and most versatile building materials - it is also a renewable resource with a minimal carbon footprint. It can fulfill the role of structure, cladding and interior finish, and it was a common building material in most of North America prior to the 1800s. In Canada, wooden building construction can be grouped into two traditional types: 1) wood-frame construction (a.k.a. light frame construction); and 2) heavy timber construction. Recently, mass timber construction has become the third wooden building typology to compete with steel and concrete structures. Wood-frame frame construction, also known as stick-built, is used in over 90% of new homes in Canada. This type of wood construction uses dimensional lumber (e.g., 38 mm x 89 mm (2” x 4”), 38 x 140 mm (2” x 6”), etc.), along with engineered wood products such as trusses, I-joists, etc., to build structural framing systems for floors, walls and roofs, that are clad with wood sheathing panels. Wood buildings represent a long-standing Canadian tradition that precedes the European colonization of Canada, and wood buildings continue to dominate Canada’s housing market. Canadians pioneered low energy wood-frame housing starting with the Saskatchewan Conservation House in the 1970s and went on to develop the R-2000 Program for energy efficient homes in the 1980s that featured high levels of insulation, airtightness and heat recovery ventilation systems. The Passivhaus movement stemmed from this pioneering work and continues to rely on wood as a structural building material. Wood-frame house construction is not just confined to single-family detached housing. Building codes now permit up to six storeys of wood frame construction for mid-rise, multi-unit residential buildings. A large variety of attached, semi-detached and row housing typologies have been constructed across Canada over the years and continue to make a significant contribution to annual housing starts across our nation. Many other building types, such as garages, sheds, gazebos, boathouses, etc., are also fashioned using wood-frame construction technology.

Course Description:

This elective is a practical, introductory-level course aimed at providing students with an understanding of wood-frame construction technology within the context of the Canadian housing industry. The course examines wood-frame construction technology within the scope of residential and small buildings (Part 9 of the Ontario Building Code). Lectures will explore the various technical elements of residential buildings from foundations through to finished exteriors and interiors. In addition to reviewing conventional wood-frame house construction, the course will also review advanced framing, structural insulated panels (SIPs) and engineered wood products. Students will be given the opportunity to apply the prescriptive requirements of the Ontario Building Code to size structural elements and to design and detail the building enclosure through their course work. The course will conclude with a survey of contemporary wood-frame construction technology, emerging innovations and trends.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: This course is not suitable for students that have taken previous courses in wood-frame construction technology and are aiming to gain advanced knowledge.)