Kalesnikoff Mass Timber has launched a new line of modular classrooms made from a kit of cross-laminated timber panels at the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon, yesterday.
Wood Central understands that the classrooms are manufactured from panels produced at Kalesnikoff’s West Kootenays facility and are engineered for maximum flexibility — deployable as a standalone single classroom, easily combined into multi-room expansions, or stacked on top of each other for new builds as either single or multi-storey configurations.
“We are proud to introduce another innovative product from our exceptional team. Many communities in North America are growing, leaving local schools at capacity,” said Chris Kalesnikoff, President and CEO, whose company was one of 200 or more that are currently exhibiting at the world’s largest mass timber event. “These new modulars can be built and deployed rapidly, are cost-effective, and create a warm and exceptional learning environment for students and staff.”
Each module arrives with heating, plumbing and digital systems pre-installed, designed to cut on-site assembly time and meet modern mechanical air performance standards across variable climates. The company describes the units as “extremely adaptive,” with school districts able to scale configurations to match enrolment growth without committing to full permanent construction programs.
According to Kalesnikoff, labour shortages and rising construction costs are the major drivers behind the new system. “Given the rising costs and other challenges of traditional construction, and ongoing labour shortages, these modular classrooms — like modular housing — are generating a lot of interest,” he said.
Drawing more than 3,000 delegates from around the world, this year’s conference will see Japanese architect Kengo Kuma headline more than 60 expert presentations and keynote sessions, whilst technology giants Amazon and Meta will present their work on data centres tomorrow.
