India’s growing interest in wood use within structural applications
Within India’s residential and hospitality sectors, there has been a growing interest in the use of wood in a variety of structural applications including cottages, country homes and resorts. In response to this rising trend, FII India has been partnering with well-known local architects and builders to demonstrate how Canadian wood products may be used within the construction segment.
A recent example of such a project is a 1,620 square foot single-story prefabricated wood-frame display home built by a local firm, Wood Niido. The home was featured at the popular exhibition, Delhi Wood, in 2019 as an example of how B.C. wood products can be used within structural applications. After receiving a high level of interest at the event, the house was then reassembled by the builder in 2021 as a permanent showcase in Chennai – a strategic location that attracts many architects and developers.
Prefabricated wood-frame display home by Wood Niido
FII India recently collaborated with 9 Wooden Homes, to complete a wood-frame 530 square foot one-bedroom cottage in Bengaluru as a showcase for using B.C. species to develop ‘room clusters’ – a style of cottage that is growing in popularity among premium hospitality brands in India.
Demo cottage in Bengaluru by FII India 
Primary materials used within these projects include; spruce-pine-fir as the main product for structural applications, yellow cedar for doors, door frames and windows; western red cedar for cladding, decking and outdoor purposes; and western hemlock and Douglas-fir for interior furniture and finishing applications.
As buyers across India look for in-market examples that show the advantages of building with Canadian and B.C. species, demonstration projects are an effective way to test this application in-market. Over the past few years, structural wood demonstration projects have been completed by Indian partners in Mysuru, Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa and Pune. As demand grows for the use of wood in structural applications in many parts of India, the FII India team works to leverage this new market segment while continuing to primarily focus efforts on featuring Canadian wood as an ideal material for interior and furniture products. Working with local companies to feature B.C. species in various applications remains a key aspect of raising the profile of Canadian wood products across India.