People travelling through the Kelowna International Airport (YLW) will benefit from an expansion and upgrade of the terminal, which will use mass timber through British Columbia's Mass Timber Demonstration Program.
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The Airport Terminal Building Expansion project is anticipated to break ground in 2023 and will receive funding through the program, which has supported the advancement of mass timber in several projects throughout British Columbia.
The airport will receive $500,000 from the Province to help with costs associated with the use of mass timber, as well as the creation of a digital construction twin, advanced fire modelling and life-cycle assessment of building materials.
The use of prefabricated mass-timber panels will reduce construction time and will result in less construction traffic to the site. Canada’s 10th largest airport will remain open and fully operational throughout the nearly 8,000-square-metre expansion.
Building off the project at YLW and the success of the first two intakes of the Mass Timber Demonstration Program, the Province is also announcing an additional $2 million to open a third intake, which begins immediately.
Individual projects can receive as much as $500,000 for incremental or one-time costs associated with design development, permitting and construction activities in mass-timber building construction.
Expressions of interest will be accepted between July 11, 2022, and Oct. 7, 2022. Successful applicants will be notified by early 2023. The Mass Timber Demonstration Program is delivered by Forestry Innovation Investment on behalf of the Province.
This funding announcement continues the momentum gained from B.C.’s recent trade mission to Europe where the Province signed a mass-timber-focused agreement with Finland, which is a world leader in sustainable forestry.
The agreement sees continued collaboration on the research, advancement, development and commercialization focusing on both regions to further develop the forest bioeconomy and the mass-timber sector.
Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests said: “Growing B.C.’s mass timber sector is key part of our government’s vision for the future of forestry – a future where we get more value from every tree harvested. It’s great to see that mass timber will be a key feature in Kelowna International Airport’s expansion project and shows B.C. continues to lead the way on mass timber.” ■