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Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development |
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B.C. WOOD TRUSS
ROOFING GETS GO-AHEAD IN CHINA |
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BEIJING – The
Shanghai government has formally approved a B.C.-designed roofing system
as part of a plan to renovate 10,000 city apartment buildings in the
lead-up to the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell, and Ida Chong, Minister of Small
Business, Technology and Economic Development, announced today.
“Shanghai officials have
recognized that building with wood is cost-effective, energy-efficient, and
good for the environment,” Bell said. “With this approval, B.C. wood producers
now have access to a market for as many as 10,000 new roofs over the next two
years.”
The approval applies to a wood
truss roofing system designed by Chinese officials in collaboration with B.C.
Forestry Innovation Investment, the Province’s international marketing agency
for B.C. forest products, provided engineering assistance, access to B.C.
lumber, and demonstration sites donated by B.C.
“China represents the
greatest growth opportunity for B.C. forest products of any market around the
world,” said Chong, who is
Minister responsible for the Province’s Asia-Pacific Initiative. “And with
government and industry working together, we’re quickly establishing B.C. as
the leading supplier of high-quality lumber and wood products.”
In the first nine months of
2008, exports of B.C. wood products to China were more than for all of 2007 and
were valued at more than $166 million.
The Shanghai Light Wood Roof System Cost Quota is a guideline for government-funded construction projects aimed at levelling the playing field in the tendering process. It establishes the price for labour, some materials and also sets timelines for construction with different construction materials. The system is designed to work in lock step with the Wood Truss Standard Drawing Manual, due to be issued later this month.
For the past five years,
the Province and forest sector, along with the federal Canada Wood Export
Program, have targeted China as a major growth market for forest products. The
renovation market, in particular, has been identified as having high growth
potential due to a deteriorating infrastructure of apartment buildings and medium-rise
housing.
Several wood-frame public
buildings are being built as part of the Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction
program funded with $8 million contributed by Canada and British Columbia.
Through the earthquake project, Chinese officials in the central part of the
country are learning more about the benefits of wood-frame construction and
Canadian advanced wood technology.
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Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592 |
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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. |
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