A new report on the use of wood in the design and construction of kindergarten to grade 12 schools has just been released. The report, titled Wood Use in British Columbia Schools, has been co-authored by BC- based Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design and Fast + Epp, structural engineers, and provides a practical guide to the use of wood in K-12 schools. 
Norma Rose Point Elementary School
Credit ? Ema Peter Photography
Wood elements make a dynamic statement in the learning commons at Norma Rose Point Elementary School
Commissioned by Forestry Innovation Investment, a Crown agency responsible for promoting the BC forest industry, the report is intended to be a resource for school districts, administrators, design professionals or anyone working in the education sector who is curious about the use of wood in school design and construction ? but doesn?t want to get mired down in a highly technical research paper.   All three companies are based in British Columbia, and the report focuses on local case studies as well as local building code requirements. There are, however, are a number of broader applications and lessons that can be learned and applied to design and construction opportunities in schools across Canada, particularly as they relate to alternative solutions for three- and four-storey wood construction. 
Ta?talu Elementary School
Credit ? Thinkspace
Rendering of the three-storey hybrid mass timber Ta?talu Elementary School
The report, which was comp...