Matechstone Rugao Infill Wall Project

In May 2017, Canada Wood China signed an MOU with construction industrialization group Matechstone (MTS) to jointly develop hybrid structures and energy-efficient wood wall technology (EEWW). Wood infill walls, a priority for CW China’s market development, are an ideal solution for the construction market as they are easy to prefabricate either on-site or off-site, lighter weight than steel or concrete, and easier to transport.  

By leveraging China’s new industrialized construction policies, Canada Wood China has positioned infill walls as a desirable prefabricated component to be featured in concrete-wood or steel-wood hybrid structures. In line with this target, CW China and Matechstone worked together to improve the development of EEWW for the construction industry. The concept progressed from a test project in Changzhou to an installation in the Taixing R&D Centre installation.

With the support of Canada Wood China, Matechstone was able to develop these technologies into new systems that qualified for patent applications. As such, it provides Matechstone with the opportunity to commercialize the product to a larger scale, where it can leverage the ownership of this new IP as an intangible asset that benefits from technical protection, promotion opportunities, and policy incentives supporting new technologies in traditional industries. The patent applications filed in January 2020 by Matechstone for these PEC systems have been approved by the relevant IP authorities in China. In total are 5 separate patents, including

• PEC system wall panels,
• connection (wet) for PEC system wall panel to the concrete main frame,
• connection (dry) for PEC system wall panel to the concrete main frame,
• connection for PEC system wall panels to wall panels, and
• connections for PEC system wall panels to energy-efficient windows.

The Rugao demonstration project is the first trial in China combining a precast concrete frame structure and a hung wall system. Built with SPF and Douglas-fir, the Rugao project showcased how Canadian wood technologies can be transferred to China’s hybrid construction industry — reinforcing the feasibility of hybrid construction in China.

Funding for this project is provided through Natural Resources Canada

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