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The Wood Innovation Group
TWIG is building connections across BC’s wood value chain—from forest to finished product. Through events, workshops, and community gatherings, we create space for learning, exchange, and collaboration—helping lay the groundwork for wood products that reflect the strength and potential of a complete BC value chain.
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This newsletter is dedicated to those who see potential in BC’s forest resources and want to be part of shaping what comes next—through creativity, design, hands-on work, or new ways of thinking. It’s about blending tradition with technology and contributing to a more resilient, locally rooted forest economy.
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Your voice matters. If you have events, projects, or ideas to share, reach out to us at info@twigbca.ca
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Wood-First-Wednesday
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St. Augustine's, 2360 Commercial Dr, Vancouver,
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The Vancouver group meets again for its regular gathering at a local craft brewery More Info+
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Sea-2-Sky Wood Network
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Royal Canadian Legion, 40194 Glenalder Pl, Garibaldi Highlands
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The Squamish group is headed to the Legion for a casual meetup More Info+
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Vancouver Island Wood Network -
Tour of Nexus Modular Solutions
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Nexus Modular Solutions, 1317 Fairfield Rd, Cobble Hill
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The VIWN heads for a shop tour, looking at prefab solutions for the future of housing in BC, followed by dinner at Drinks at the Cobble Stone Pub More Info+
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Timber Tech Connect - Navigating Design, Budget, and Constructability
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Kindred Construction, 1486 E Pender St, Vancouver
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Kindred hosts the next TTC for a panel discussion on navigating design, budget, and constructability in mass timber projects. More Info+
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More info for these events will be expanded on below, and the up-to-date TWIG events can be found online at twigbc.ca/events/
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There’s still time to share your voice
TWIG is always evolving—and your feedback helps guide the way. Each year, we take a step back to reflect on what’s working and where we can grow, so we can better serve the people, projects, and ideas shaping BC’s wood community.
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Our annual survey is still live (under 5 minutes to complete), and your insights will help shape the future of our events, workshops, and programming.
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Thanks for being part of the TWIG community!
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With forest-felt regards,
Patrick Christie and The TWIG team
info@twigbc.ca
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Designing a Regenerative Future
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In the previous article, we explored how deeper Indigenous participation and a revival of craft-based industries are foundational to building a renewed wood culture in BC. These themes highlight the importance of relationships, place-based knowledge, and cultural continuity. In this part, we turn our attention to evolving our definition of sustainability to include a human-centered element, and to celebrating innovation that goes beyond technology and process—focusing instead on how we work together and translate meaning, culture, and perspective into the systems, products, and relationships that shape BC’s wood economy.
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Defining sustainability beyond environmental
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Sustainability efforts in BC’s wood sector are often split between two camps: one focused on reducing the environmental impact of construction—carbon emissions, energy use, and waste—and another focused on preserving forest ecosystems. Architects, consultants, and developers drive the first; environmental scientists and advocacy groups lead the second. While each is making important progress, they often operate in silos, with little overlap or collaboration.
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But sustainability is not a static concept—it’s inherently tied to time. In ecosystems, we assess sustainability through the lens of regeneration: how well an environment supports life, fosters new growth, and maintains long-term health. In the built environment, we consider life cycle: how materials are sourced, how structures perform over time, and their overall impact on the planet. These two domains—forests and buildings—are interconnected and equally vital.
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We propose an expanded definition of sustainability for the wood industry, one that goes beyond environmental performance to include human-centred sustainability or cultural continuity. Like ecosystems, cultures need conditions that support regeneration: the passing on of knowledge, skills, and relationships from one generation to the next. In the context of wood, this means mentorship, intergenerational learning, and creating meaningful pathways for young people to participate in the sector.
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TWIG events regularly bring together participants ranging from 18 to 85, reflecting this intergenerational spectrum. Programs like CAWP’s high school outreach are planting seeds for the next generation. This is further emphasized by the First Nations Forestry Council Youth Conference, which took place alongside the main conference again this year. For BC’s wood culture to thrive, we need the wisdom of elders alongside the energy and fresh perspectives of youth. Sustainability should be understood as a dynamic interplay between ecosystems and built environments, with people as the connective tissue—ensuring both endure, evolve, and support life across generations.
Fostering Innovation Rooted in Culture
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We believe innovation in the wood sector must go beyond technologies, processes, and products—it must also address how we work together and how we include cultural perspectives and practices in the innovation process. It’s not merely about creating new functions or improving efficiency; it’s about reimagining wood as an expression of identity, history, and creativity. As noted throughout this series, BC’s wood industry has mainly evolved without meaningful contributions from local Indigenous cultures. Today, that’s beginning to change, as Indigenous leadership and stewardship take root across a range of sectors—offering new pathways for BC’s resource industries. The opportunity to reimagine the value-added sector is here, as current challenges are pushing us to rethink how we do business.
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On one side, we have the legacy of BC’s value-added industry, with companies today applying innovative technologies and processes. On the other, we have the deep cultural heritage of BC’s Indigenous peoples, who have stewarded this land and carried its stories for generations. We know there is a gap between these two streams—but how do we bridge it? This is where the design industries come in. Design is a process of meaning-making. It’s about synthesizing ideas, translating concepts into reality, and shaping wood into something with purpose. Designers are translators and collaborators, and their creative thinking is essential in contexts of change. As we discussed in Part 4, design plays a critical role in shaping culture. Designers influence the spaces we inhabit, the objects we use, and the stories we tell through the materials they use.
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As we move forward in developing this new system, designers need to be embedded in the process. Designers of products, spaces, systems, services, and organizations all play a role in reshaping how we work, think, and collaborate. Designers don’t just “put lipstick on a pig”—they can help drive a transformative wave of innovation that infuses every wood product with meaning, identity, and cultural resonance. We need to create space and develop pathways for the next wave of designers to participate in shaping the future of BC’s industry.
In sum, reimagining innovation and sustainability through a cultural lens allows us to see BC’s wood industry not just as a system of production, but as a living ecosystem of people, practices, and places. By valuing intergenerational knowledge, embedding meaning in what we make, and designing with identity and community in mind, we begin to craft a future that is both regenerative and resilient. In the final part of this series, we’ll explore how community building, network development, and collaboration platforms can help shape and amplify BC’s unique wood identity.
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---> You can find a link to the PDF of the previous articles HERE
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Vancouver Island Wood Network
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Tour of Nexus Modular Solutions
4:00–6:00 PM — Tour at Nexus Modular Solutions
6:00 PM onward — Social at Cobblestone Pub
Nexus Modular Solutions: 1317 Fairfield Rd, Cobble Hill
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Cobblestone Pub: 3566 Holland Ave, Cobble Hill
Free | By Donation
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On our next series of events for the Vancouver Island Wood Network, we head to Cobble Hill for a tour of Nexus Modular Solutions. With the rise of prefab as a solution for the future of housing in BC and across Canada, we get to take a look at a facility offering solutions for the next generation of homes and buildings.
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This event comes at a timely moment, as national conversations around housing—like those proposed in the new federal plan—highlight prefabrication and modular construction as critical tools for scaling affordable housing across Canada.
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Modular building isn’t just a trend—it’s a fundamental shift in how we design, construct, and deliver buildings in BC. This tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at the systems, workflows, and innovations driving prefabrication forward. Whether you’re an architect, builder, policy maker, or simply curious about where housing is headed, this event is a chance to learn how modular systems are reshaping the landscape.
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Based in Cobble Hill, BC, Nexus Modular Solutions specializes in the design and construction of high-performance, prefabricated modular buildings tailored to meet the evolving needs of residential, commercial, and institutional clients. With a focus on innovation, sustainability, and efficiency, Nexus Modular delivers smart building solutions that reduce construction time, minimize environmental impact, and ensure superior quality. Their integrated approach combines advanced building systems with precision manufacturing to create flexible, durable, and cost-effective spaces that support a wide range of applications across British Columbia and beyond.
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After the event, the group will move over to the Cobblestone Pub for food and drinks.
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Navigating Design, Budget, and Constructability in Mass Timber
May 22nd, 5:30 - 7:30pm
Kindred Construction, 1486 East Pender, Vancouver
Free | By Donation
Food + Drinks
Register +
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Mass timber offers significant promise for sustainable construction in the built environment, but challenges remain in scaling its use, particularly in the early stages of project development. This Timber Tech Connect session focuses on the preconstruction phase, where the foundations of a successful mass timber project are laid. Through a panel discussion featuring professionals from architecture, development, and construction management, the session explores how to navigate the intersecting demands of design, budget, and constructability. Presenters will share firsthand insights from ongoing projects—including Catalyst 2, Res One, 981 Davie, and Vienna House—and offer strategies to overcome regulatory, logistical, and financial hurdles.
The transition to mass timber construction requires more than technical know-how—it demands new forms of collaboration, planning, and investment. By spotlighting real-world examples and cross-sector perspectives, this event aims to help professionals make informed decisions that support project feasibility and long-term impact. Whether you’re just beginning to explore mass timber or are already working on complex builds, this session provides practical knowledge and scalable strategies that can help move the industry forward.
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In British Columbia, mass timber and prefabrication represent more than construction innovations—they’re a vital pathway toward a higher-value wood economy. Realizing this potential requires coordination across the value chain—from architects and developers to fabricators, manufacturers, and foresters. By increasing the use of second- and third-growth local fibre and generating skilled jobs across disciplines, mass timber can directly contribute to revitalizing BC’s forest sector. Its impact reaches beyond housing and carbon reduction, offering a practical strategy for strengthening regional industries and supporting a more integrated forest economy.
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Presenters
Annabelle Hamilton
Technical Manager – Wood Works BC
Regulatory requirements and code compliance
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Roy Lee
Associate Director – BTY
Budgeting and cost-benefit analysis of mass timber
Rhys Leitch
Principle – Integra Architecture
Architect’s perspective on design considerations for mass timber
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Carlos Zavarce
Director of Development, Squamish – Matthews West
Developer’s perspective on budgeting, cost management, and project viability
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Sean Binns & Kenny Dempsey
Project Directors – Kindred Construction
Construction management insights from both market and non-market housing projects
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***All TTC events and information can be found online at twigbc.ca/ttc
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Are you looking to hire someone? Do you have a new position opening up at your company? Let us know, and we can make a posting here to share it with our readers.
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Expanding Connections Across BC
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TWIG is always looking to grow—through regional networks, project tours, new partnerships, and collaborations that support BC’s evolving wood industry. While we currently operate in Squamish, Victoria, and Vancouver, we’re eager to connect with individuals and organizations in other regions—from the Interior to Northern BC, the Sunshine Coast, and beyond—who want to help shape the future of wood innovation where they live and work.
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Whether you’re interested in hosting events, organizing tours, sharing your work, or building community through shared goals, we’d love to hear from you.
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Contact us at info@twigbc.ca and let’s explore what’s possible together.
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Donate to TWIG
At TWIG, we believe the best connections happen informally—and that innovation grows when new relationships are formed. That’s why we keep some of our events free, open, and easy to join.
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To keep this going—and for our funding model to work—we rely on financial contributions from the industry. Your support not only keeps the wheels turning but also shows that the work we do matters.
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If TWIG has offered you connections, inspiration, or opportunities, we invite you to show your support. Every contribution makes a difference.
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Got an idea? Need some Testing?
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Do you have a concept, product, or prototype that you want to realize? TWIG can work with you to make this happen with financial support through The Wood First Program. Carried out through the Center for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) and its team of technical staff, we are able to provide an array of support on various wood-based projects.
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