The Toronto Paramedic Services Education and Development team is getting a new ambulance facility. Included in the 90,000-sq.ft structure will be logistics areas and flexible classrooms for professional development, located at the south end. At the north end, vehicle bays will hold 40 ambulances and 20 emergency response vehicles. The two-storey mass timber structure aims to reduce embodied carbon by 34 percent. The south-facing sawtooth roofscape, which has been angled and rotated to support PV arrays and maximize solar capture, will help to offset the building’s electricity demand. To reduce the amount of energy lost through the 12 overhead vehicle doors, interior vestibules will be constructed on both sides of each vehicle bay, making this the first facility in the country to do this. Completion is set for early 2029. 

Ronald McDonald House BC (RMHBC) is getting a new addition to support the growing communities in British Columbia and the Yukon. Called Ronald McDonald Willow House, this new home-away-from-home will offer 75 additional new long-stay suites, including studios and one- and two-bedroom homes. The lower levels of the mass timber building will feature multiple communal spaces: fully equipped kitchens, dining areas, living rooms, play areas, and healing rooms, all to help support families during challenging times. Complementing these indoor areas will be landscaped outdoor decks for dining, play, healing, and gathering. The Willow House will be conveniently located near the BC Women’s and Children’s Hospitals, both just a short five-minute walk north of the proposed site and the existing RMHBC. 

Return to Form is a mass timber apartment building under construction in the River North Art District of downtown Denver. The building’s Douglas fir components from the Pacific Northwest will be left exposed in the building’s walls and ceilings. Return to Form is using the G147-21 amendment to the 2021 International Building Code (IBC), which allows for 100% exposure of CLT in type IV-B construction. Only the foundation, stairs, and elevator core will be made of concrete. The project’s 84 apartments, occupying the fourth to 12th floors, will include four penthouse suites, 32 two-bedroom units, 32 one-bedroom units, and 16 studio apartments. Four of the apartments will be designated affordable, as outlined by the city. The ground floor will have a public café, plus a lobby, gym, and co-working amenities for residents; there will be a rooftop deck for residents, also. The second and third levels will provide parking. 

In Malmö’s Hyllie District, the world’s tallest timber and straw high-rise is nearing completion, redefining what bio-based construction can look like. Named ETC Hyllie, this 12-storey apartment complex has a basement and 65 apartments, each with its own balcony. The building’s timber frame structure and prefabricated, industrially compacted straw panels lock in carbon, thus reducing emissions. With more than 1,800 m³of CLT and 150 m³of GLT, the supporting structure, including the elevator shaft, is made entirely of wood. Offsite prefabrication expedited the assembly of the timber elements, including insulation, to be completed in less than five months. Tenants will benefit from shared services such as an EV carpool and cargo bikes, which can be used at no additional monthly cost. Completion is set for early 2026. 

The Shafran Learning Centre at Kew Gardens has broken ground and will be the first project built under Kew Gardens’ Strategy for Change initiative, which has committed its sites to becoming carbon negative by 2030. The centre, which will provide teaching and gallery spaces and offices, will have a CLT structure and charred finish Accoya weatherboarding. Heating demand for the building will be less than 13 watts per sq.m, with full ventilation and heat recovery. The energy used by the building will come from several sources. The roofs will feature a mix of green and standing seams to harvest rainwater for irrigation and flushing toilets. The centre is set to open in October 2026.

A new government building is under construction behind Parliament House in New Zealand’s capital. The six-storey mass timber Museum Street Building will have a contemporary design that also signals the country’s cultural heritage, with indigenous patterns seamlessly integrated into the architecture. The building will have a lower carbon footprint and include energy-efficient systems, rainwater harvesting, and vertical fins for shading. These systems are part of a larger strategy to achieve the 6-Star Green Star rating, which would make the Museum Street Building one of the most sustainable in the area. Once complete, Museum Street Building will provide office space for more than 600 government employees. Completion is expected at the end of 2026.