First-of its-kind timber-built demo home promotes B.C. wood products to Indian building sector
To showcase the benefits of B.C. wood in structural and non-structural applications, FII India works with local developers to provide technical support and training on a variety of demonstration projects.
Most recently, FII India and local premier developer, MAK Projects, highlighted the beauty and versatility of B.C. wood products through the unveiling of a two-storey, 6,000 square-foot demonstration home in Hyderabad’s BTR Greens Community. The formal inauguration of The Canadian Wood Villa took place on September 20 with several high-level Indian and Canadian Embassy representatives present.
With MAK Projects as project lead and FII India providing technical support, the Canadian Wood Villa is one of the first projects of its kind in the country to combine light-wood-frame construction with mass timber and prefabricated construction technologies. The roof structure is detailed with western hemlock glulam beams, S-P-F trusses and oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing. A covered exterior deck on the second level is supported by glulam beams and columns with a floor that was fabricated on-site with hemlock nail-laminated timber (NLT) and OSB sheathing.
Inside the home, interior finishes were made with B.C. species and manufactured in India. Windows and exterior doors are constructed with naturally durable yellow cedar and manufactured by Delhi-based Artius Interior Products. All internal flush doors were crafted by Metal World Furniture, based in Hyderabad, using S-P-F internal frames and western hemlock laminate. The home’s interior also features a staircase as a central design element, specified with glulam stair treads, also made with western hemlock.
Sustainably harvested B.C. wood products provide an eco-friendly alternative to the declining supply of traditional hardwoods in the region. An abundant use of wood—and off-site fabrication—reduces the home’s carbon footprint, boosts its thermal performance, gives residents biophilic benefits, ensures long-term durability, offers seismic resilience and speeds up assembly, shaving months off the construction schedule.
Developed as a replicable prefabricated timber-built kit of parts and taking less than 12 months to complete, the project shows local developers, builders and architects the possibilities that B.C. wood products can offer for the 300-home, 250-acre residential development in this southern region of India.
View the project profile on the Canadian Wood India website.
Learn more about FII’s market development work in India at www.bcfii.ca/our-key-markets/india.