---
title: "Mass Timber Construction Rising Trend Canada | AVANORTH"
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description: "Mass timber construction guide: CLT, glulam, NLT products, environmental benefits, fire performance, speed advantages, and notable Canadian projects."
"og:description": "Mass timber construction guide: CLT, glulam, NLT products, environmental benefits, fire performance, speed advantages, and notable Canadian projects."
"og:title": "Mass Timber Construction Rising Trend Canada"
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AVANORTH Home
**Industry News**·March 20, 2026· 4 min read
# **Mass Timber Construction: A Rising Trend in Canada**
Mass timber is transforming mid-rise and tall building construction across Canada. Cross-laminated timber (CLT), glulam beams, and nail-laminated timber offer compelling alternatives to steel and concrete.
**AVANORTH Team**
AVANORTH Construction
Mass timber construction is one of the most significant shifts in the Canadian building industry this decade. Engineered wood products like cross-laminated timber (CLT), glued-laminated timber (glulam), and nail-laminated timber (NLT) are being used for structures that were previously only possible with steel or concrete. Canada, with its vast forest resources and world-leading forestry practices, is uniquely positioned to lead this movement.
> **Milestone:** The 2020 National Building Code of Canada expanded height limits for mass timber buildings, allowing encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC) up to 12 storeys. Several provinces have adopted these provisions, and projects are already under construction.
---
## Mass Timber Products
| Product | Description | Typical Use | Max Span |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **CLT** (Cross-Laminated Timber) | Layers of lumber glued at right angles | Floors, walls, roofs | 8-10m floors, load-bearing walls |
| **Glulam** (Glued-Laminated) | Layers of lumber glued parallel | Beams, columns, arches | 30m+ beams, arches to 50m+ |
| **NLT** (Nail-Laminated) | Lumber boards nailed together on edge | Floors, roofs, walls | 5-7m floors |
| **DLT** (Dowel-Laminated) | Boards connected with hardwood dowels | Floors, roofs | 5-7m floors |
| **MPP** (Mass Plywood Panels) | Plywood layers glued in large panels | Floors, walls, roofs | 6-8m floors |
---
## Why Mass Timber is Growing
### Environmental Benefits
Mass timber offers a compelling carbon story:
- **Carbon sequestration:** Trees absorb CO2 as they grow. That carbon remains stored in the wood for the life of the building. A typical mass timber building stores 1-2 tonnes of CO2 per cubic metre of wood.
- **Lower embodied carbon:** Manufacturing CLT and glulam requires far less energy than producing steel or concrete. Studies show 25-50% lower embodied carbon for mass timber structures compared to equivalent steel or concrete buildings.
- **Renewable resource:** Canadian forests are sustainably managed. Trees harvested for mass timber are replanted, and the cycle continues.
### Speed of Construction
Mass timber components are CNC-machined in the factory to exact specifications with all connections, openings, and service holes pre-cut. On site, they assemble quickly:
> **Speed Example:** The 18-storey Brock Commons at UBC (the tallest mass timber building in the world at completion) erected the timber structure in just 70 days. The building was installed at a rate of approximately 2 floors per week.
### Construction Performance
| Performance Factor | Mass Timber | Concrete | Steel |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Site construction speed | Very fast (pre-cut assembly) | Slow (forming, curing) | Fast (bolted) |
| Weight | 1/5 of concrete | Heaviest | 1/3 of concrete |
| Foundation size | Smallest | Largest | Medium |
| Noise/dust on site | Very low | High | Medium |
| Embodied carbon | Lowest (net negative) | Highest | High |
---
## Fire Performance
A common concern about mass timber is fire safety. The reality is more nuanced than most people expect:
- **Charring behaviour:** Large timber members char at a predictable rate (approximately 0.65 mm/min for CLT). The char layer insulates the inner wood, maintaining structural capacity far longer than unprotected steel.
- **Encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC):** All timber surfaces are covered with gypsum board, maintaining the fire resistance while hiding the wood. Required for tall mass timber buildings under the current NBC.
- **Exposed mass timber (limited):** Some configurations allow exposed timber ceilings or walls with additional sacrificial wood thickness calculated into the fire resistance design.
> **Fact:** Unprotected structural steel fails in fire in 15-20 minutes. A mass timber beam of equivalent structural capacity can maintain its load for 60-90 minutes or more due to the insulating char layer. Steel requires fireproofing. Mass timber has built-in fire resistance.
---
## Challenges
1. **Moisture management:** Wood must be kept dry during construction. Extended exposure to rain during erection can cause dimensional changes, mould, and staining. Strategies include just-in-time delivery, temporary coverings, and rapid enclosure.
2. **Acoustic performance:** Wood is lighter than concrete, which means less mass for sound isolation. Additional acoustic treatments (resilient channels, concrete topping, acoustic mats) are needed to meet building code sound transmission requirements.
3. **Cost:** Material costs for mass timber are currently higher than concrete in most Canadian markets, though the gap is narrowing. Schedule savings and foundation cost reductions can offset the material premium.
4. **Supply chain:** CLT manufacturing capacity in Canada is growing but still limited. Lead times can be longer than for steel or concrete.
5. **Code limitations:** While the NBC now allows timber to 12 storeys (EMTC), not all provinces have adopted the latest code provisions.
---
## Notable Canadian Projects
- _Brock Commons, UBC (Vancouver)_ - 18 storeys, student residence, completed 2017
- _Origine, Quebec City_ - 13 storeys, residential, tallest CLT building in Quebec
- _T3 Bayside, Toronto_ - 10 storeys, office, one of the largest mass timber offices in North America
- _The Arbour, Toronto_ - 14 storeys, George Brown College, institutional use
> **AVANORTH Outlook:** We are actively developing expertise in mass timber construction. As manufacturing capacity grows and costs stabilize, mass timber will become a standard option for mid-rise buildings in Ontario. The combination of sustainability, speed, and aesthetic quality makes it a compelling choice for the right project.
#mass-timber #CLT #sustainability
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