Wood - the preferred building material for residential construction in North America

Wood is by far the preferred building material for residential construction in North America, and is becoming increasingly popular in commercial and industrial construction.  A host of building types including schools, warehouses, factories, offices, stores and recreational facilities are well suited to wood construction.

As with all materials, the design of wood structures is based on building code regulations that consider fire and structural safety.

Durability of wood structures must also be considered and increasingly environmental considerations are influencing the choice of structural materials.  Research has shown that wood has environmental advantages when compared to the three other major building materials – masonry, concrete and steel.