Business View Magazine | November 2020

27 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 NORDI C STRUCTURES pound, wood has the same compressive strength as concrete and the same, or better, tensile value than steel. Dubois agrees that while you cannot always design with the same cross-section as steel or concrete, taking into consideration timber’s characteristics can help you design to its strengths. “This is the main reason we’re seeing people coming back and building their fourth and fifth and sixth projects with mass timber,” he says, “because they did their homework, and they know mass timber is the best way to build sustainably.” On the aesthetics front, Dubois gushes about the benefits of wood. “It’s amazing, and it makes a strong statement design-wise. When you go into a wooden building, in addition to the natural human biophilic response, which has a calming effect, the indoor environment is more comfortable than a steel or concrete building.” He shares an example to illustrate the point; “When you’re in a concrete building in the wintertime and put your hand in front of a concrete wall, you can feel the concrete drawing away your body heat, which is a sign of energy flow from hot to cold, or entropy. When it comes to wood, which has higher insulation values, heat loss is not as prevalent because wood creates a thermal flywheel effect as it heats up and cools down much more slowly than steel or concrete.” Looking beyond the five-year horizon, Nordic Structures is focused on organic growth. As a family-run business, the company has a lot of stability and predictability in terms of the decision-making process, allowing it to gradually build out its growth strategies over the long term. In addition to the commercial structures that are increasing in popularity, part of Nordic’s strategy is to respond to the need for affordable workforce housing, especially in metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, and across California. Dubois predicts that the future of sustainable construction is in efficient, high-quality, multi-family residences, and Nordic Structures is prepared to support this emerging trend. The company is ready to provide quality workforce housing for first responders, teachers, and other middle-income workers, ensuring they get the caliber of residence they deserve in which to live and raise their families. Courtesy of DCI Engineers