Discover how TRIFORCE® open web joists are revolutionizing multi-family construction, offering a faster, smarter, and more sustainable way to tackle the housing crisis.
Why Canada and the U.S. are facing a housing shortage
A growing challenge, impacting millions of people and driving up demand for efficient building solutions. Rising costs, regulatory delays, and limited housing availability make it harder than ever to keep up. But what if there was a way to build smarter, faster, and more cost-effectively?
Fortunately, innovative solutions like TRIFORCE® are helping developers and municipalities meet the demand with high-performance, sustainable multi-unit construction.
Challenge for Canada:
Rapid population growth, slow construction due to permit delays, real estate speculation driving up prices, and rising costs from inflation, material shortages, and interest rates are all contributing to the housing crisis.
Challenge for the United States:
The lack of affordable housing, aging infrastructure in need of renovation, restrictive zoning laws, and rapid population growth in certain states are putting significant pressure on the housing market, making it harder to meet demand.
So to meet the needs of residents, developers and municipalities, we are turning more to multifamily housing. When building a multi-dwelling, several specific advantages are sought in terms of materials. Thanks to its numerous advantages, TRIFORCE® open joist provides significant support for the construction of multi-family housing.
Why TRIFORCE® Is a Game-Changer for Multi-Family Construction:
- Lightness and strength:
Lightweight yet incredibly strong, TRIFORCE® joists are designed to simplify multi-story construction. Given that several floors will be assembled in a short space of time, it’s essential to use materials that facilitate transport and installation, and also reduce the load on the foundations. TRIFORCE® joists meets this criterion perfectly. Its light weight comes from the fact that it has no metal plating, the members being fingered-jointed with glue. The triangular design of TRIFORCE® joist is also a credit to its solidity. - Quick and easy to install:
Because of its low weight, TRIFORCE® joist can be transported by a single worker, making it easy to handle. In the process, this will save installation time. But more importantly, the best aspect of its speed of installation: the open web design. No need to drill holes for plumbers, electricians and contractors.
Not only it saves time, but money too. With wood-I joist, the holes have to be drilled in very precise places, and we often have to wait for an engineer’s approval or wait for a joist replacement if the hole isn’t drilled correctly. This situation is completely avoided with open web floor joists. Added to this, the 24” trimmable section at the end offers the possibility of adjusting the desired length directly on site, another time-saver.
- Fire resistance and safety:
In multi-unit dwellings, fire risk increases due to the close proximity of units and the high number of occupants in a confined space. Thankfully, TRIFORCE® open web joist offers excellent fire resistance. It’s made almost entirely of natural wood, precisely assembled using fire-resistant structural glue. The resorcinol adhesive used to bond the webs has a much higher burning temperature than wood. In contrast to joists with metal plates, these can buckle in the heat of a fire and fall off, causing failure. - Respect for the environment:
Wood is biodegradable, has a low carbon footprint, and acts as a carbon sink by storing CO₂ absorbed during a tree’s growth. Build in eco-friendly plant, TRIFORCE® open joist is perfect for sustainable construction. Our proprietary finger-joint connection minimizes raw material waste by optimizing web and chord dimensions for maximum wood fiber efficiency. Also, the waterproof resorcinol glue used is a sustainable product approved by NES and CCMC (Canadian Construction Materials Centre). - Acoustic insulation:
Acoustics are crucial for residents’ comfort, health, and quality of life in multi-dwelling units. Firstly, there’s no squeeking noise from the joists because there are no metal plates. Secondly, an open web floor system like TRIFORCE® enhances the soundproofing capabilities of your construction. In fact, all the components of the floor structure have to be evaluated together (strongbacks, subfloor, joist, gypsum) as they are part of a system that works together to improve acoustics. The role of TRIFORCE in all this? The open design does not affect the final acoustic performance, we might think that it allows easier transmission of sound but in fact, it’s offering significant flexibility to the various trades that work with them.
TRIFORCE® open-web joists are very useful for multi-family dwellings, combining efficiency, strength, mechanical and acoustic performance, while simplifying fast and economical construction. Choosing TRIFORCE® means choosing quality, durability and building comfort.
Get exclusive insights on optimizing multi-unit floor systems with TRIFORCE®—download our specguide today!
