China's Take on Construction Framing:
Terry and I visited Shanghai just before the Lunar New Year in early February, eager to see the the status of one of W+P's projects currently being constructed
in China!
Even though traditional Chinese architecture features timber
framework, it is difficult to find appropriate
lumber locally these days. As a result, all of the wood frames used for this project were imported from
Canada. 
Today, the Chinese use steel and concrete as primary framing materials,
even for single-story structures. As seen in the pictures to the left, cast-in-place concrete is used to frame out windows, doors, and whole roof structures. Although this is no new practice to me, this construction method is being utilized on
all of W+P’s ongoing work in the country, therefore Terry is getting used to seeing it! Americans (and others) might question why the Chinese build everything out of concrete… and vice versa, the Chinese may also wonder why Americans still build homes using wood!
Such cultural nuances often lead to interesting discussions of the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the building industry...
Enough talk - time for dessert! Slushies are always our favorite after a long day on site!
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