The first cross-laminated timber (CLT) house outside of British Columbia is being built in Lac-Etchemin, Que.

Along with entrepreneurs from the province’s Montmagny region and Binderholz Gmbl from Austria, Tergos Architecture et Construction Ecologique is building the first single-family home designed with CLT panels.

When it comes to the Canadian construction industry, experts are predicting a stable, if not quite spectacular, future. At last month’s 26^th Annual CanaData Construction Industry Forecasts Conference, pundits examined the state of domestic and international economies, exploring the impact on the country’s building community.

Dr. Jeffrey Packer, the Bahen/Tanenbaum Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto (U of T), is the newest board member to sit on the Steel Tube Institute of North America (STINA) hollow structural sections (HSS) committee.

Socially and Environmentally Responsible Aggregate (SERA) is developing a certification system that offers the building industry an opportunity to identify and purchase construction materials that meet international best practices.

Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) president, Thomas Mueller, is joining the group’s Founding Board.

As part of a major campaign to raise awareness about the country’s deteriorating public infrastructure and the importance of building more sustainably in the future, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) is sponsoring the Award for Government Leadership in Sustainable Infrastructure.

Randy Pickle, CSCE president, says around 80 per cent of the public infrastructure in the country is close to the end of its useful life.

Stephen Carpenter, president of Enermodal Engineering, and a contributor to Construction Canada, has been named a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Fellow by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

“When thinking of the many professionals who have contributed to the success of LEED in Canada, Stephen Carpenter ranks among the most dedicated and instrumental experts in this field,” said Mark Hutchinson.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) forecasts the country’s housing industry to remain steady for the next two years.

In its third-quarter report, “Housing Market Outlook, Canada Edition,” the crown corporation predicts 2011 starts will be in the range of 166,300 to 197,200 units, with a point forecast of 183,200 units.

A durable, net-zero solar-powered home has been built by the University of Calgary as the only Canadian entry in this year’s Solar Decathlon competition, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

“We chose to enter the competition in part because of our experience in 2009, which saw Team Alberta’s SolAbode best numerous returning competitors to a sixth place finish out of 20 international teams,” the team’s Johann Kyser told Construction Canada Online.

A survey commissioned by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) shows almost one-quarter of Canadian executives feel energy is not being consumed efficiently within their organization.

The study, conducted by Leger Marketing, also reveals more than half of the participants feel it is important to take part in programs that improve the energy or sustainable performance of their organization.

Architectural Testing Inc.’s (ATI’s) first Canadian laboratory opened in Winnipeg last week, enabling the country’s window and door manufacturers, architects, and specifiers to perform more locally based testing of fenestration products and systems.

All testing facilities, personnel, and methodologies will be fully accredited to International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 17025, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories.