A new RBC report is calling for the use of more mass timber in commercial real estate developments.

Multi-storey buildings constructed with a mass timber floor system can reduce their average emissions by 27% for the floor system and 12% to 25% for the entire building structure, states the report authored by Myha Truong-Regan, RBC’s head of climate research. Mass timber has already had a large effect on the Canadian multi-residential sector, accounting for one-third of multi-storey developments planned and under construction.

“While towering steel-and-concrete structures once symbolized economic growth, they are now emblematic of the climate challenge that needs to be scaled,” said RBC.

With its vast forests, Canada could become a global mass timber market while
the products eliminate or dramatically reduce emissions associated with concrete
and steel.

The report calls for Canadian insurance underwriting to be standardized to
reduce investment and construction costs. RBC also wants Ottawa and the
provinces to provide financial support to mass-timber-product manufacturers so that Canadian developers no longer have to rely on European suppliers.

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