As BUILDEX Vancouver begins this week, WoodWorks BC is putting timber adoption under the microscope.

Each year, the conference acts as a barometer for where BC’s built environment is headed, and in 2026, many of those conversations are converging around wood-based construction. This week, February 11th and 12th, WoodWorks at BUILDEX Vancouver is offering a lineup of accredited educational seminars at the Vancouver Convention Centre that provide a concentrated look at how mass timber, hybrid systems, and prefabricated wood solutions are being applied on real projects across the province. The sessions reflect a shift in the market from early exploration to practical problem-solving. 

Designed for developers, architects, engineers, contractors, and sustainability professionals at any level in their career, our team at WoodWorks BC has carefully curated two days of educational content, led by industry experts actively working directly on BC projects. Speakers include industry names from Integra Architecture, STY, Perkins & Will, Kalesnikoff, Faction, Fast + Epp, Kindred Construction, EllisDon, Wesgroup, and many others. 

Limited space remaining: Accredited seminars, designed to fit busy schedules

Our collection of keynotes and educational seminars is designed for flexible participation. Attendees can register for individual sessions, a single day, or the full two-day program, allowing teams to focus on the topics most relevant to their roles. Many sessions offer continuing education credits across multiple professional designations. 

For those interested in exploring the full program, 10% off is available using the code WW10, along with complimentary access to the BUILDEX exhibit hall and mainstage keynotes using code WOODEXPO. 

Registration and full program details are available here.

Addressing the drivers and barriers to timber adoption

Across both days, sessions reflect the practical realities project teams are navigating today. For developers and contractors, the focus is on affordability, feasibility, and risk, with sessions examining competitive timber solutions for housing, the business case for mass timber, and lessons from built projects. Topics such as shearwall performance, moisture management, and prefabrication speak directly to concerns around constructability, durability, and delivery certainty.

For architects and engineers, sessions focus on early-stage decision-making and structural strategy, including hybrid systems, tall wood applications, and approaches to meeting performance and code requirements before projects are locked into costly pathways.

Construction-focused content draws from jobsite experience to address sequencing, logistics, and coordination, highlighting how prefabrication and industrialized timber solutions are responding to labour constraints and schedule pressures.

Sessions also highlight sustainability by examining material sourcing, embodied carbon considerations, and the role of wood within BC’s regulatory and supply-chain context.

Together, the program offers a clear snapshot of where timber construction is gaining traction and how teams are working through remaining challenges. 

Registration is still open for the following WoodWorks BC seminars and keynotes at BUILDEX, with limited space remaining for several sessions:

Wednesday, Feb 11th

• Building Affordable Housing With Competitive Timber Solutions
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core; BC Housing 1 CPD (Construction technology)
• Innovative Shearwall Strategies for Mid-Rise Wood Buildings
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core; BC Housing 1 CPD (Construction technology)
• Tall Timber and Affordable Housing: A Case Study
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core; BC Housing 1 CPD (Construction technology)
• Timber Lessons From the Jobsite
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core
• The Business Case for Mass Timber
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core
• Hybrid Building Strategies: Optimizing Structural Materials
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core
• Managing Moisture in Mass Timber Builds
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core
• Scaling Housing With Prefabricated Timber: Regulations-Ready Mid-Rise Prototypes
• Keynote: Design and Construction of the PNE Freedom Mobile Arch: A Long-Span Timber Landmark

Thursday, Feb 12th

• Challenging Convention With Innovative Timber Applications
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core
• From Forest to Form: Sourcing Local Wood for BC Projects
  ConEd Credits: AIBC 1 Core; BC Housing 1 CPD (Construction technology); 1 IDCEC HSW-Sustainability
• Keynote: Building Canada’s Future With Wood

A technical resource for BC projects

Woodworks BC, the BC division of the Canadian Wood Council, operates as a non-profit technical industry resource, supporting project teams early in the design process when material decisions have the greatest impact on cost, performance, and risk. That mandate is reflected throughout their BUILDEX programming each year, which draws heavily from lessons learned on projects navigating industry advancements, challenges, and innovations.

Over the past six months alone, WoodWorks BC has directly engaged on projects representing $95.5M in construction value and influenced more than $114.7M in wood-based projects currently under construction. More than 1,100 projects are already in the organization’s BC pipeline for 2026, underscoring the scale of interest and activity across the province.

Learn more about how we support projects in BC at WoodWorks at BUILDEX Vancouver or cwc.ca.