Quebec’s expertise in wood construction is attracting increased interest from large American institutions, now keen to reduce their carbon footprint, says a forestry company manager.
“Technology companies in California, infrastructure developers in Colorado and major universities have an appetite for mass timber in the name of decarbonization,” says Frédéric Verreault, executive director, corporate development, at Chantiers Chibougamau, which owns the one of the largest engineered wood manufacturing plants in the world.
“They tell us: ‘We have new infrastructure. We want it to be contemporary and efficient to meet the most demanding standards in terms of carbon footprint. We have seen the projects you have made and we want to meet you. » »
Innovation
In addition to its forestry capacity and its state-of-the-art factory, the Quebec company draws its strength from a team of 60 specialized engineers, brought together within its design subsidiary, Nordic Structures, in Montreal.
PHOTO DAMIEN LIGIARDI/TARMAC PROVIDED BY NORDIC STRUCTURES
Nordic Structures develops wooden structures capable of replacing traditional systems, like here, for the roof of the Handel ice rink in Candiac.
His role ? Develop wooden structures capable of replacing traditional steel or concrete systems, but also more attractive, economical and less harmful to the environment.
Nearly 3,000 projects around the world bear the signature of Chantiers Chibougamau, according to Mr. Verreault. Even the U.S. Army used his expertise to build mass-timber military housing on a military base in Alabama.
JC BUCK PHOTO PROVIDED BY NORDIC STRUCTURES
At the time of its construction, the Platte 15 project was the first building using cross-laminated timber in the city of Denver, Colorado.
Ironically, Frédéric Verreault says he faces greater resistance from Quebec project owners. Quebec now represents only a third of the annual volume of its projects, whereas it was its main market 10 years ago.
Convince
“There is a reflex in Quebec where we reject wood for reasons that seem questionable to us,” he says.
PHOTO STÉPHANE BRÜGGER PROVIDED BY NORDIC STRUCTURES
The construction of solid wood schools is part of the public infrastructure carried out by Nordic Structures, as here for the École Saint-Frontières in Saint-Jérôme.
“We have had successes over the years in public infrastructure, such as the construction of schools and seniors’ homes out of solid wood. These are the repercussions of government policies in Quebec over the last 15 years,” he first emphasizes.
“That said, very recently, our technology for the construction of a flagship infrastructure, namely a multi-storey parking lot in Montreal for the government of Quebec, was not deemed “competent”. However, the same material proved its worth for a similar project carried out in Dijon, France, two years ago. This leaves us perplexed. »
“No one is a prophet in his own country, but we do not complain about it,” he said.