22 July 2025
Japan has just revealed the Grand Ring at Osaka Expo 2025. Stretching over 1.2 miles, it’s made of sustainable Japanese cedar, Japanese cypress and Scots Pine. Instead of steel and glass, this impressive ring is built using traditional joinery techniques, with no nails or metal parts. Some of the wood used comes from Fukushima, symbolising the region’s recovery and resilience. The Grand Ring also features a Sky Walk that offers stunning views of Osaka Bay. More than just a pavilion, it’s a bold example of sustainable design, cultural pride, and the future of cities. The question is – while it was meant to be temporary, should it stay as a permanent symbol like the Eiffel Tower?
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WoodWorks Issue – 22 Jul 2025
Welcome
Greetings once again from your WoodWorks team. This week our first story is an analysis of the building sector from the highly-regarded economist Shamubeel Equab at Simplicity. Next, a long-anticipated and highly-regarded affordable housing project making full use of mass timber with a difference (in that it looks great) called ‘The Hive’ in downtown Vancouver. Continuing the theme of prefab and Canada, we have a modular building from Intelligent City and taking construction speed to the next level. Finally for today’s update we bring you a time lapse of a 10-Story building being built in just one day in China!
This Issue
1
Building consents are stuck at low levels
2
The Hive
3
The BCIT Tall Timber Student Housing project in Burnaby, BC
4
Intelligent City starts production on a nine-storey mass timber housing project in Toronto
5
Osaka’s Grand Ring – The World’s Largest Wooden Structure
6
10-Storey Building Constructed in a Day
22 July 2025
Building consents are stuck at low levels
Here is the text from Shamubeel Eaqub at Simplicity: Building consents are stuck at low levels. Yet another indicator suggesting a winter muddle economically. Non-residential building consents have slowed more...
22 July 2025
The Hive
Progress at The Hive along Keith Drive in Vancouver is in the final stretch. From street level, the intricate timber braced frames are now echoed in the exterior, a seamless...
22 July 2025
The BCIT Tall Timber Student Housing project in Burnaby, BC
When it comes to student housing for universities, those Canadians are certainly very experienced! Study this project carefully to see how they are keeping it simple using the right product...
22 July 2025
Intelligent City starts production on a nine-storey mass timber housing project in Toronto
Is it just me or is mass timber seems to be moving ahead faster than in the past in North America. That said they don’t have to design for earthquakes...
22 July 2025
Osaka’s Grand Ring – The World’s Largest Wooden Structure
Japan has just revealed the Grand Ring at Osaka Expo 2025. Stretching over 1.2 miles, it’s made of sustainable Japanese cedar, Japanese cypress and Scots Pine. Instead of steel and...
22 July 2025
10-Storey Building Constructed in a Day
Talk about efficient. Who will be the first to use these techniques to build a mass timber building?...