Opportunities and challenges for wood in BC schools
Designing today’s school facilities demands economically and environmentally sustainable solutions that can simultaneously create safe and inspiring learning environments for educating our youth.
This has made wood a very important part of the conversation when selecting materials for structural and finish applications in schools.
Building schools with wood can have construction and operational cost benefits. Wood’s strength, ease of use, and versatility make it an ideal building material for schools.
In addition to its material benefits, there is a growing body of research supporting the positive impact that exposed wood can have on a building’s occupants, including health and learning benefits—making wood an optimal choice for educational environments. Furthermore, integrating wood into schools can create ties between cultures and reinforce traditional and regional values, including the significance of wood in local First Nations cultures.