Leveraging Digital Innovation to Promote Mass Timber

WSP’s client, Forestry Innovation Investment (FII), works on behalf of the Government of British Columbia to strengthen the BC forestry sector by promoting the merits and use of timber products in the building industry. Through extensive research, FII identified that in the early planning stages of a project, timber is often not considered as an option for the structural system of buildings due to misconceptions about the consequences of its use (too costly, takes up too much structural depth, etc.).

To address this challenge, FII engaged WSP to create an accessible, single-bay conceptual structural framing design tool for architects, developers, and owners that provides high-level insight and comparative outcomes between mass timber, concrete and steel construction. In response, WSP developed timberX, a web-based tool which summarizes and compares four primary outcomes for each of these structural systems – weight, structural depth, cost, and embodied carbon – in an easy-to-use, graphically appealing and transparent interface. Each of these 4 outcomes are given equal weighting, promoting equal importance between cost and embodied carbon in the decision-making.

WSP is at the forefront of integrated digital solutions and we have been supporting our clients for decades in achieving their business objectives, through the application and development of digital tools in conjunction with engineering and consulting services.

The timberX tool includes 8,100 different structural layouts for the user to compare. WSP leveraged automation to analyze thousands of layouts in order to shortlist and finalize the 8,100 structural layouts included in the tool. Without automation, this task would have been impossible, but instead only took a few months to complete.

Grasshopper, a visual programming software, was used to create simple 3D models of each structural option; an important step that allows end-users to clearly visualize the structural solutions when using timberX. These optimized solutions were then organized into a simple database to increase the speed and accessibility of the final tool. WSP also provided embodied carbon and costing information (supported by subconsultant’s BTY group); and the unit rates used for these calculations are displayed clearly within the tool, allowing and encouraging end-users to interrogate and challenge the results.

FII was pleased with the development of the tool and launched timberX on a dedicated website to make it accessible to the public.

Why is timberX Important to WSP?

This assignment aligns perfectly with WSP’s Environmental & Social Governance and Digital Innovation goals. Mass Timber promotes sustainability in building design, as it is a building material that is widely held as having a smaller embodied carbon footprint when compared to steel and concrete. The sincere hope is this tool creates discussion and prompts further action in decarbonizing the industry. As business imperatives change, technological capabilities accelerate, and customer expectations grow – timberX is a great example of how WSP looks beyond traditional ways of working to help drive our clients’ business outcomes.