Branching Traditions: Innovative Mass Timber in Indigenous Inspired Architecture
Course Overview Discover the transformative vision of Saskatoon’s New Central Library, a 150,000-square-foot, four-story beacon anchoring downtown’s northern edge. Inspired by Métis and Indigenous cultures, this community living room echoes the South Saskatchewan River’s rhythms, blending organic forms to connect urban vitality with the prairie landscape. As a place of healing and inclusiveness, it sparks renewal with a south-facing plaza featuring river-inspired flora for community events and a northern Indigenous landscape. This project honours the land’s stewards, fostering a welcoming hub that celebrates Saskatoon’s diverse heritage and unites all in shared cultural expression. Dive into the mass timber innovations of Saskatoon’s New Central Library in the lecture “Branching Traditions,” evoking leaf-like five-ply CLT floor plates radiating outward, distributing services via a central spine supported by a concrete core for rigidity. Explore value engineering evolution, overcoming manufacturing constraints, shipping logistics, and broad CLT floor plates without shear walls for concise structure. Celebrate adapting timber to cultural geometries, inspiring architects and engineers with sustainable, expressive insights honoring Indigenous and Métis heritage. Learning Objectives Integration of cultural expression within the rigid limitations of mass timber Designing mass timber structures under manufacturing and shipping logistics restraints Developing design strategies for a CLT and glulam column-and-beam system in organic architecture Course Video Speakers Bio Alfred Waugh, Architect AIBC, AAA, OAA, SAA, FRAIC, AIA Owner/ Principal Formline Architecture + Urbanism Waugh’s diverse and innovative designs have prompted national acclaim as one of the most inventive Canadian architects of his generation. As project designer for Busby Perkins Will, his Nicola Valley Institute of Technology project won a Governor-General’s Medal for architecture in 2004. Both the 2009 Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre in Whistler and the 2010 First Peoples House on the University of Victoria campus have inspired locals and visitors from all backgrounds with their strong form-making and gracious interiors. Alfred Waugh is one of the few Indigenous Architects in Canada. His firm Formline Architecture + Urbanism is leading the way in defining contemporary Indigenous Architecture. His stature within Indigenous and academic communities was proven receiving a Governor-General’s Medal for the 2017 Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) at the heart of the University of British Columbia campus. This leading directly to his current work on the Indigenous House for the Scarborough campus of the University of Toronto and the New Central Library for Saskatoon. IRSHDC has been lauded for its integration of building and landscape, the symbolic uses of materials such as copper, and its rising to the challenge of a contemporary Indigenous design, without making specific architectural reference to any one of Canada’s many and diverse First Nations. Waugh’s creativity and independence are born of his background and education. Born in Yellowknife, Waugh enjoyed summers fishing and hunting on the East Arm of Great Slave Lake. His father, who is of English heritage, is a retired prospector, while his mother, who’s family originated in northern Saskatchewan, is a registered member of the Fond Du lac Denesuline First Nation. Waugh has an undergraduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Lethbridge. Graduating with honours, he is the first Full Status person to graduate from UBC’s School of Architecture.
Exploring the Feasibility of Point-Supported Mass Timber for Tallwood Construction
Course Overview This session examines the growing potential of point-supported mass timber systems in tall building construction, contrasting them with traditional timber framing and conventional steel and concrete approaches. It highlights regulator advancements, the role of mass timber in addressing mid-density housing needs, and the structural fundamentals of gravity and lateral systems. Through cost and schedule comparisons, design principles like bi-axial bending and punching shear, and insights from ongoing Canadian codification efforts, the presentation offers a comprehensive overview supported by real-world projects such as VAHA Burrard and BCIT Tall Timber. Learning Objectives Evaluate the opportunities and constraints for point-supported mass timber when compared to traditional timber framing schemes. Analyze the schedule and cost benefits of point-supported mass timber systems versus steel and concrete in tall construction projects. Explore state-of-the-art design methodologies and ongoing efforts towards codification in Canada. Course Video Speakers Bio Carla Dickof, P.Eng., M.A.Sc. Associate Principal | Director of Research & Development Fast+Epp Carla Dickof is the Associate Principal & Director of Research and Development at Fast + Epp, where she leads the Testing Team at Fast + Epp’s R&D hub, Concept Lab, and uses the data gleaned from research programs to regularly contribute to academic journals and conferences. Carla completed her Master’s degree studies at the University of British Columbia, where her thesis research focused on hybrid systems, specifically those combining steel and mass timber (CLT). Her experience as an engineer spans commercial, recreational, educational, and residential projects – and, since joining Fast + Epp in 2012, Carla has gained a robust fluency in all major building materials, including concrete, steel, light-framed wood, heavy timber, and mass timber. Her understanding of building physics and materials brings invaluable insights to her projects. Alejandro Coronado, P.Eng. Technical Advisor WoodWorks BC Alejandro Coronado is a Technical Advisor with a multidisciplinary background spanning contracting, supply, and consulting engineering. With both a Diploma and a Bachelor’s Degree in Structural Engineering from BCIT, Alejandro began his career in single-family residential design and steadily advanced to contribute to landmark projects such as the Centre Block Base Isolation at Parliament Hill, the UBC Museum of Anthropology Great Hall Renewal, the Royal BC Museum PARC Campus, and a mass timber campus in Silicon Valley. Initially drawn to mass timber for its expressive architectural potential, Alejandro quickly recognized its broader value in addressing today’s social and environmental challenges. Through many years of hands-on experience, Alejandro has become a champion for sustainable construction and simple yet effective structural solutions.
