Canada starts wood house demo project in Pudong

THE Canadian government has teamed up with the Pudong District authority to build wood-frame townhouses for out-of-town professionals in Pudong's Jinqiao Area.

The Jinqiao Wood Townhouse Demonstration Project consists of 133 three-storey townhouses as part of the Jinqiao Townhouse Development Project. It is one of several such projects in China funded by the Canadian government.

These projects are aimed at helping China to meet its emission-reduction goals, according to officials accompanying Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver's visit in Shanghai yesterday.

The project is expected to be completed next year and will benefit young migrant professionals working in the city, they say.

"Canada has been privileged to support the development of wood-frame construction in China over the past decade," Oliver says, adding that wood is a cost-effective construction material for its energy efficiency and ability to withstand earthquakes.

But in China, wood-framed houses are no more than three stories high due to fire concerns, according to Lance Tao, communications director with the Canada Wood.

Before coming to Shanghai, the minister also visited a similar wood-frame housing project in Tianjin, one of the four demonstration projects funded by the Canadian government to promote energy-efficient wood-built apartments.


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