Reaching New Heights – Brock Commons Tallwood House

Feature article – Canadian Architect
Author – Bruce Haden, MRAIC, Vancouver-based architect and urban designer
The world’s tallest contemporary mass timber building is nearing completion in Vancouver, presenting a pragmatic argument for how mass wood can be used for all types of buildings, from the audacious to the everyday. The new Brock Commons student residence at the University of British Columbia will be the tallest contemporary mass timber building in the world when finished this May. The term “mass timber” or “mass wood” covers an array of approaches, usually referring to a structural system combining engineered wood columns and floor slabs. In Canada, the most commonly referenced technical innovation, and one of the ones behind Brock Commons’ structure, is the cross-laminated timber (CLT) slab, available in a variety of thicknesses for different span requirements. Read the article.