MOU Signed for the Promotion of Wood-infill Walls in Anhui Province
On October 30th, Canada Wood China (CW China) accomplished a significant step in the promotion of wood frame construction for prefabrication in China with the signing of a three-party MOU agreement with the Huaishang district of Bengbu city and Shanghai Electric Matechstone. This new partnership is focused on collaboration with construction industrialization in the province of Anhui, and will facilitate the first project for the commercialization of the wood infill wall technology with the Matechstone Prefabricated Energy-Saving Cladding (MPEC) system.
MOU signing ceremony with Canada Wood China, Matechstone and Huaishang district of Bengbu city
The signing ceremony was attended by the Vice Mayor of Bengbu, Mr. Wang Qingwu, the Director of Planning and Development Department of the Science, Technology and Industrialization Center of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD), Ms. Liu Meixia, and the Party Secretary of the District of Huaishang, Mr. Zhang Ming. The collaboration with the city government of Bengbu will engage with the Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Development and Reform Commission to work together to support construction industrialization in the North Anhui Base Integration Project.
The development of the MPEC systems has been a significant advancement for the promotion of wood materials in prefabrication in China. Starting from 2016, CW China initiated a strategy to develop the wood-infill wall building methodology enabling the penetration of wood components in conventional concrete or steel building systems. Starting from early stages as an engineering concept, to confirming the partnership with Matechstone, to development of trial projects to refine the technology to fit into hybrid wood-concrete construction, the program has evolved in significant ways over 4 years of work. The collaboration with Matechstone is a great example of working with key industry players to innovate and create hybrid wood solutions to meet the needs of the construction market in China.
Factory tour of Anhui Yantong, a new subsidiary of Matechstone for prefabrication in Anhui
Discussions with Matechstone CEO Lin Fan and team leaders at Canada Wood China for ongoing collaborations
Following the signing ceremony and the factory tour, CW China and Matechstone hosted a training seminar on construction industrialization, and the integration and development of prefabricated building technologies with a focus on building with wood. The audience included government leaders, research departments, industry experts, and building companies from across Anhui.
The seminar introducing prefabrication technologies and wood frame construction to companies and experts in Anhui
The first commercialization of the wood-infill wall technologies in Anhui will be the Qinghe Gardens, which will be part of a 270,000 m2 affordable housing development, with 10,000 m2 for community facilities that will include MPEC infill wall sections. CW China will provide technical support for this project and cooperate in the promotion of wood structure construction technologies in Anhui through construction training, design support, and prefabricated wood structure construction technology consultation.