Connecting With Nature, Not Isolating From It.
It is about more than appearance — it’s about the material itself. Modern construction often surrounds us with synthetic, manufactured surfaces that disconnect us from the natural world our bodies are designed to be part of. Wood offers something different. As a living, organic material, it carries the texture, warmth, scent, and character of nature into the built environment. Building with wood creates spaces that feel grounded, calming, and inherently human, restoring a connection that conventional materials often remove.
At OT Timber Frames, we believe the spaces that we live, work, and play in, should connect us to the earth, not separate us from it. Mass timber, specifically DLT, allows us to achieve this. Mass timber is reshaping more than how buildings are constructed — it is changing how buildings feel.
OT Timber Frames is introducing an innovative, 100% wood DLT panel system that allows us to build spaces without the use of glue, metal, or synthetic materials. This leads to healthier indoor environments, reduced environmental impact, and a more authentic connection between people and the spaces they inhabit. By relying entirely on natural wood components, our system preserves the integrity, performance, and sensory qualities of the material itself — creating buildings that not only look natural, but truly are natural at their core.
WHAT IS THE BC WOOD PANEL?
The BC Wood Panel is a next generation mass timber system made entirely from solid wood using hardwood dowels to lock the layers together instead of glue adhesives or metal fasteners. The result is a breathable, sustainable, and structurally robust wall system for residential and commercial construction.
Technical Performance
The air pockets between each layer are bio-insulating.
The rough-sawn surfaces of the boards naturally trap micro air pockets between layers. Because air has very low thermal conductivity, these pockets significantly slow down heat transfer through the wall, reducing heat loss during the winter and slowing heat gain through the summer. This helps keep rooms comfortable with far less energy use.
Naturally Breathable.
The air pockets work together with the wood’s natural vapour-permiability to allow moisture to move safely through the wall instead of becoming trapped. This helps maintain indoor humidity of 40-48%, reducing the risk of mold and improving indoor air quality.
Reduces the penetration of sound.
The density and cross-layer design provide strong acoustic separation by adding both mass and structural complexity, which helps block sound transmission and reduce noise traveling through the wall.
Fire resistant for 90 minutes.
Tests have shown that the BC Wood Panel offer excellent fire protection. It is certified to REI 90 (a European fire rating standard), meaning it maintains load-bearing capacity, integrity, and insulation for at least 90 minutes. During testing, after 90 minutes of exposure to fire, the cold-side temperature increased by only 11°C, demonstrating exceptional thermal resistance.
The photo on the right shows the panel after continuous exposure to fire at 1000°C for 90 minutes. Only the outer layer was damaged during the test. After about 230 minutes, that first layer charred and fell away, revealing a fresh, intact layer underneath.
Maximizes natural resources.
The BC Wood Panel can also utilize burnt wood and pine beetle–affected wood, which, once properly dried, are fully stable and safe for construction—further increasing the environmental benefits by making use of materials that would otherwise go to waste.
How are the panels
constructed?
Rough-sawn wooden boards (each 156 mm wide and 30 mm thick) are laid in alternating directions (length, cross, diagonal).
At the second stage, the wooden panel is tightly pressed together, and holes (15 mm wide) are drilled through the overlapping layers at precise points. 16.2mm hardwood dowels are compressed to 14.2mm, and pushed into these holes while being slightly moistened with water. As the dowels absorb the moisture, they swell back to their original size, locking firmly into place and creating a strong, glue-free bond between the wood layers.
Finally, on the third part of the machine, the outer shape and surface details (like edges, openings, or grooves) are cut and finished using CNC tools.
Beyond the Walls
Not only can we build the structure of a building with all-natural materials, we can now extend that same approach to the spaces within—crafting doors, stairs, floors, and custom furniture from solid wood. The result is a healthier indoor environment and a cohesive, sustainable material palette throughout the entire space.
