Congratulations to Baptiste Giorgio on his successful PhD defence!
Congratulations to Baptiste Giorgio on successfully defending his doctoral thesis in wood and bio-based materials engineering on November 26, 2024, under the supervision of Pierre Blanchet (Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, Laval University) and the co-direction of Aline Barlet (École nationale supérieure d’architecture et de paysage de Bordeaux). His thesis, titled « Social Representations Associated with Mass Timber and Prefabricated Light Frame Construction in Quebec », investigates a topic of great relevance to the future of sustainable construction.
Congratulations, Baptiste, on this remarkable milestone in your academic career! We wish you a promising future, rich in professional success and personal achievement.
The jury members were :
- André Desrochers, Chair, Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, Université Laval
- Annie Gosselin, non-UL examiner, Genius Group
- André Potvin, UL examiner, Faculty of Planning, Architecture, Art and Design, Université Laval
- Ivanka Lordanova, external reviewer, École de technologie supérieure
- Pierre Blanchet, Research Director, Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, Université Laval
- Aline Barlet, Research Co-Director, École nationale supérieure d’architecture et de paysage de Bordeaux
Congratulations again!
Abstract:
The construction industry faces several major challenges, such as increased demand for new buildings, lack of productivity, labor shortages, and the need to reduce environmental impact. In response, transitioning from on-site construction to factory prefabrication offers a promising solution. Despite its advantages, this construction mode currently represents only 2.5% of the construction market in Canada. On the environmental front, existing policies focus primarily on optimizing energy use during the operational phase of buildings, overlooking the reduction of inherent impacts associated with construction materials. However, these intrinsic emissions contribute to a carbon budget that no future policy will be able to mitigate. Within this context, the use of wood as a construction material for multi-story and non-residential buildings appears to be a relevant solution. Yet, the adoption of these construction methods remains slow due to a sociotechnical regime that encourages stakeholders to make choices aligned with established practices.
Within this dynamic, this thesis aimed to explore how to encourage the adoption of mass timber and prefabricated light frame construction in non-residential and multi-story buildings. To this end, the research examined the perspectives of a broad range of stakeholders—from end-users to project managers, designers, and builders—to propose actionable strategies to advance these construction methods.
First, a survey was conducted to assess the perceptions of a representative sample of Quebec’s population regarding these construction approaches. The main motivations and perceived barriers to the adoption of mass timber and prefabricated light frame construction by users were identified. Additionally, the results revealed response profiles related to the sociodemographic characteristics of respondents.
In parallel, a series of semi-structured interviews with industry professionals (including architects, engineers, general contractors, manufacturers, private developers, and public developers) helped to characterize their perceptions. Along with identifying key motivations and barriers associated with these construction methods, the interviews also revealed specific reasons behind these perceptions. Finally, the response profile analysis highlighted that certain professionals have specific interests that strongly impact the adoption potential of these construction methods, underscoring the need to address these aspects in promotional strategies.
In conclusion, this thesis offers a series of recommendations to activate potential levers to encourage the adoption of wood construction and prefabrication within Quebec’s sociotechnical and economic context.