News From MTI

Feature: Hybrid Wood Tower Prototype

DIALOG and EllisDon are working to address the challenge of tall timber buildings, which are a critical part of the solution to climate change. Currently, the race to design the tallest all-timber building obscures the most important goal of using mass timber: to make significant reductions in carbon emissions by maximizing the overall use of sustainable harvested wood. Moreover, tall and supertall buildings of all shapes and forms have been extensively explored by architects and engineers. Mark Gaglione and the DIALOG structural team responded with an innovative idea: the patent-pending Hybrid Wood Floor System (HTFS). The HTFS can be deployed in buildings of any size, form, or height, and the 105 storey prototype is a good example of how the HTFS can be deployed in a mixed-use supertall building form. Find details about the project in this article.



Image Credits: DIALOG. Text Credit: DIALOG.

News from the Institute

1. MTI releases new information bulletin!

This third bulletin highlights the contribution of mass timber to societal wellbeing through biophilia and economic benefits. Read it on our webpage.
 

Updates from our Partners

• Professor emeritus David Martell received the Ember Award for his wildland fire research. Congratulations David! Read more in this article.

• Element5 hosted webinars earlier this month to help inform professionals on designing with Mass Timber. Great initiative!

• Mantle314 identifies reasons why Canada can and should be leader in the mass timber industry in their recent blog post. Ryan Zizzo of Mantle314 hosted a seminar on embodied carbon and LCA calculations on October 22.

• U of T Alumna Sivajanani Sivarajah and researchers at the Daniels Faculty find that some tree species offer more UV protection than others. Find the paper here and an article on it here.

• Enter the Future of Ontario Place Competition: a call for proposals open to multidisciplinary student teams to preserve the heritage and public benefits of Ontario Place. The deadline to sign-up is October 30th.

• Register for Latornell's webinar: Connecting Planning and Ecology Workshop on November 19. Ideal for ecologists and planners, the event will outline practical methods for translating ecological recommendations into planning approvals. 

• Daniels launches a certificate program on sustainability with enrolment for undergraduate students beginning in winter 2021. Read more here.