On a gorgeous late summer weekend in Toronto, Canadian engineering and architectural students competed in the 11th annual TimberFever competition – a three-day saw off testing the design and construction skills of the more than 80 participants.
Held at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in downtown Toronto, the event was themed “third spaces” – social gathering places where students can go between their homes and schools.
An example of a third space is The Bentway, a space under the Gardiner Expressway where art installations, various public performances and community events are held.
Sixteen teams of five or so architectural and engineering students primarily from universities in Ontario and Quebec designed and then constructed timber structures, each on a 1.8-by-2.4-metre base.
Zaina Nafa, the event’s civil engineering chair, says about 20 architects and engineers volunteered to mentor the students through the design phase before they took to an outdoor square at the university to erect their projects with tool and constructability advice offered by members of Carpenters’ Local 27.
She says students were encouraged to make design decisions that accounted for construction considerations to avoid mistakes or changes required during the build.
Rounding measurements off for ease and efficiency of construction – “even if it means it is a little over-designed”– is an example.
Sigalit Tsirulnikov, architectural co-chair, who was a participant in a past TimberFever, says the carpenters are a huge help offering practical construction advice that students won’t likely forget as they enter their careers.
The three-day project also “bridges the gap” between engineering and architectural disciplines, helping them understand each other’s design reasoning, says Giuliana Fonseca-Velazquez, architectural co-chair, of TimberFever.
The teams were judged on design, structure and accessibility, with cash prizes awarded to the top three. A public choice winner was also awarded a cash prize.
David Moses, a principal with Moses Structural Engineers, the Toronto-based engineering firm and organizer of the annual event, says TimberFever has come a long way over the past 11 years, gaining recognition in the design and building world in Toronto.
“The success this year is proof that whatever we have been doing is working really well, ticking along nicely,” he says.
Many past participants have put the experience on their CVs and many of the annual event’s sponsors and mentors have hired past participants.
“I’ve noticed that some of mentors are former participants, either as students in the event or as one of the previous organizers,” Moses says.
While most participants were from Ontario and Quebec, a couple of participants travelled from Roger Williams University, Rhode Island, which has its own mass timber research program, he says.
Moses, who calls mass timber construction an “Ontario story,” says the growth of the timber construction industry in the province is critical to building sustainably.
“Particularly right now with everything that is going on in the world we want to make sure that we keep up that momentum…keep investing,” says Moses whose company is involved in a number of mass timber projects.
