The first North American - style home constructed using the light wood frame (LWF) method is now a part of the creative initiatives of Forestry Innovation Consulting - India (FII) to spread awareness and education about Canadian Wood and its species in the country.
The interest it has generated also prompted FII India to build a 2, 000 - square - foot house comprising a large living and dining area, two bedrooms, bathroom and outdoor decking, which was displayed at the exhibition at FII India had a stall display measuring 250 sq.m. under the Canada Government pavilion. A Light Wood Frame (LWF) house structure covering 200 sq m was the main highlight of the FII India booth with the balance 50 sq.m allotted to the participating 05 B.C. Lumber companies for kiosks.
In the exhibition 9 Canadian companies participated either under the aegis of BC wood or as individual stalls.
FII India showcased B.C. wood species in various applications under key product segments
• Light Wood Frame Construction, • Cladding, • Decking, • Panelling, • Window & Window Frame, • Door & Door Frame, • Roof, • Trusses and • Indoor & Outdoor Furniture. The information was provided at the booth on available species and their applications as well as sustainable forest management practices in B.C., Canada through collaterals and interactive audio-visual kiosks.
“Light wood frame building is quick, easy, user-friendly, beautiful and is right for our planet because it is made from sustainable wood,” says Mr Peter Bradfield, Technical Advisor, FII India. FII is aware that wooden houses are gaining popularity in India for resorts at beach locations and hill stations, and also for farm houses and countryside home sites with infrastructure and access challenges, due to their advantage of being portable. It also gains attention because of the very low carbon footprint.
This prompted FII to organise an LWF training for the Indian T&G house manufacturers who liked what they saw at the exhibition and expressed interest in this method of construction, because of its different style.