Introductory Studies in Mass Timber Construction

This microcredential seeks to introduce students who have construction experience to the mass timber industry, and explore some of the fundamental features and tools associated with mass timber construction. The 5.0-credit microcredential is designed to provide students who have a background in construction with an introduction to the burgeoning more specialized field of mass timber construction. It will be of interest to carpenters, ironworkers, quantity surveyors, estimators, construction managers, 3-D modelers, developers, manufacturers, and designers. Virtually anyone within the construction field with an interest in expanding their expertise to mass timber.

This microcredential is relevant for tradespeople, such as Carpenters and Ironworkers, as well as those who design construction projects, such as Architects, Estimators, Digital Modelers and Engineers. It is relevant for those who plan projects (owners, developers, construction managers) and those who have other related connections like Building Officials. The connecting thread is construction, and the application is across the spectrum of roles.

The learner will come away with a broad understanding of mass timber, an appreciation for the level of their interest in applying their existing expertise to it, and the ability to leverage what they have learned in this microcredential to next level BCIT programs that go deeper into mass timber skills and knowledge (for example, the Associate Certificate in the Construction of Mass Timber Structures).

Mass timber is a category of wood-based building materials that uses timber, a sustainable and renewable material, as the main raw material for structural elements that are prefabricated off-site under controlled conditions. This industry is expected to grow in the near future due to mandates from the BC Government, as well as changes to the 2020 National Building Code of Canada.