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NEWS RELEASE
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July 22, 2009 |
Ministry of Forests and Range |
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STAR IS BUILT - B.C. “SUPER HOUSE” DEBUTS ON ASIAN TV
VICTORIA – B.C. wood products will receive celebrity treatment and nationwide exposure in Mongolia this fall when a Vancouver Island designed and pre-built home becomes the star of a prime-time show, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.
“B.C. wood products have undeniable star quality. They have natural good looks, can play thousands of leading and supporting roles, and possess a durability that have will have people enjoying them for years,” said Bell. “The show will help establish wood-frame construction as a viable housing option in Mongolia, and further our exports to Asia, which is our fastest growing regional market.”
The “Super House” reality TV program will see a wood-frame house constructed in Mongolia’s capital of Ulaanbaatar over 12 one-hour episodes. The show will feature cameo appearances by Mongolian celebrities who will ask questions about the many benefits of wood-frame construction. Super House will be aired prime time on Mongolia’s largest commercial network starting in September 2009.
The 2,000-square-foot house was designed and pre-fabricated at Pacific Building Systems in Cobble Hill. It features windows, doors, mouldings and other wood work from local firms. Timber frame construction on the porches and carport showcase coastal species like Douglas-fir and western red cedar.
“We see exceptional opportunities in Mongolia for wood-frame construction using B.C. forest products,” said Grant McKinnon, Pacific Building Systems president. Pacific Building Systems signed a $4-million contract in February to build a townhouse complex in Ulaanbaatar.
Sixteen value-added and lumber and panel product firms donated materials to help make the project possible. Forestry Innovation Investment (FII), the Province’s international marketing agency for forest products, is co-ordinating the $150,000 project and providing quality assurance at the site to ensure the home is built to Canadian standards.
Vancouver-based Interex Forest Products has provided lumber and structural panels for the Super House project and recently started to sell B.C. forest products into Mongolia.
“While we’re just at the beginning of market growth, we see solid potential for sales and building stronger relations with Mongolian customers,” said Bruce Pollock, Interex general manager. “Mongolia has a climate much like northern B.C. and the presence of several large Canadian mining companies has made trade and business ties fairly easy to establish. What is really exciting is fulfilling the immediate need for housing in Mongolia.”
Mongolia recently updated its building code to Canadian standards. This FII-funded work was done by the British Columbia Institute of Technology. B.C. also provided training and continues to support the growth of a wood-frame construction sector using B.C. wood products.
“I believe this program will make a huge impact in the effort to introduce Canadian wood-frame housing to Mongolia,” said Manlaibayar Yondon, president of the Mongolian Wood Construction Association. “Super House will provide a high profile for B.C. building products in Mongolia, and will be an effective way to communicate the many benefits of wood construction.”
The Province’s marketing strategy to boost sales of wood products, in partnership with industry, is to diversify sales by building markets in Asia, promote the value-added sector, and increase wood use across Canada and the U.S. in commercial, condominium and non-residential construction. Changes to the provincial building code to allow six-storey, wood-frame buildings, and the Province’s Wood First policy to use more wood in publicly-funded buildings, are major parts of the strategy.
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Note to editors: Artists’ renderings
of the “Super House” can be obtained at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/pab/media/.
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BACKGROUNDER
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15 B.C. COMPANIES HELP BUILD MONGOLIAN “SUPER HOUSE”
B.C. firms donating products and resources for the Super House project are:
Lumber
and structural panels
· Ainsworth Engineered Canada LP (Vancouver)
· Carrier Lumber (Prince George)
· Dunkley Lumber (Prince George)
· Interex Forest Products (Vancouver)
Value-added
products and manufacturing
· Pacific Building Systems (Cobble Hill)
· Kaycan (Nanaimo)
· Ken’s Roofing (Victoria)
· Lance Bissett Ltd. (Coquitlam)
· Longhouse Trading Co. (Qualicum Beach)
· Macdonald and Lawrence Timber Framing (Cobble Hill)
· Masonite (Surrey)
· Milgard Windows
· Mitek Canada (Surrey)
· Mouldings & Millwork (Langley)
· Pacific Building Systems (Cobble Hill)
· S&A Wood Processing (Cobble Hill)
· Taymor (Delta)
The project is also supported by the 16-member Mongolian Wood Construction Association; the Mongolian Ministry of Roads, Transport, Construction and Urban Development; the Mongolian University of Science and Technology; and Mongolia’s C1 Television Network.
Mongolia is experiencing a rapid urbanization and acute housing shortages. It’s estimated that nearly half of Mongolia’s 2.7 million people still live in a traditional ger (a round tent made of wood and felt). Mongolian government estimates are between 150,000 and 200,000 housing units are immediately needed in Ulaanbaatar, with many more in the rural areas of the country.
The introduction of the Canadian wood building code as the new standard for residential construction is expected to actively encourage wood construction in the country. Mongolia has announced a 100,000 housing unit program to meet the demand for housing with a planned completion date of 2015.
A significant proportion of these housing units could be built with B.C. wood products.
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Contact: |
Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592 |
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