 |
|
The renovation project features truss roofing systems that use B.C. wood products, based on a Canadian design, to replace eight aging roofs for a complex of apartment buildings in Nanjing, located in the Yangtze River Delta region. Nanjing – following Shanghai and Qingdao – is the third Chinese city to introduce the wood-truss roofing system.
“It took two years to push through to completion the first roof truss demo in Shanghai. Because of the portability of what we learned, we accomplished the same thing in Nanjing in just six months,” said Bell, who will lead a delegation of B.C. forest industry representatives on a Nov. 12-18 trade mission to China.
“We are excited to extend the use of this cost-effective, energy efficient technology into the Yangtze Delta, home to more then 200 million Chinese people. This opens up a huge market for B.C. forest products and helps us diversify our exports beyond the U.S. market.”
Most Chinese still live in low-rise, concrete apartment buildings. Many of these buildings were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s and now need major upgrades, including new roofs, insulation, plumbing and electrical systems. The number of buildings needing repairs is estimated in the tens of thousands.
Wood-frame roofing has significant growth
potential in China. Low-rise, multi-family housing represents a potential
market of up to 2.8 million cubic metres per year for spruce-pine-fir lumber in
roof systems alone.
Forestry Innovation Investment, the Crown agency responsible for marketing B.C. wood products globally, and the Canada Wood Group have been working for several years with officials in Shanghai to use Canadian advanced wood technology to meet Chinese housing needs. The wood-truss roofing system is a result of this collaboration.
-30-
|
contact: |
Communications Manager Ministry of Forests and Range 250 213-2972 |
|
|
|
||
|
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
||
