Course Overview
In 2021, YW of Kitchener-Waterloo (YWKW) obtained funding from the federal Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) to construct supportive housing for homeless women in the community. The 41 compact yet accessible 1-bedroom transitional housing units on a narrow parcel of surplus land were designed, constructed, and occupied within 1-year of contract award.
The optimized mass timber design resulted in time and cost savings during construction. These savings helped meet the financial constraints of project while maximizing the climate action response through mass timber’s reduced carbon footprint. Exposed mass timber elements also impart a sense of warmth and well-being rarely seen in austere supportive/affordable housing projects.
This presentation shares best practices and lessons learned from this first completed project in Kitchener along with several other similar projects in various stages of design and development.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the applications of mass timber in rapid housing projects and the related sustainability benefits.
- Analyze the challenges and solutions in designing mass timber housing projects, including regulatory, logistical, and technical aspects.
- Evaluate the design considerations and project management strategies essential for successful mass timber housing projects.
- Discuss the future potential of mass timber in addressing housing crises, focusing on scalability and adaptability.
Course Video
Speaker Bio
Matt Bolen
Principal
EDGE Architects
Matt Bolen is a Principal at Edge Architects in Waterloo, On. In addition to providing professional consulting services, the firm has been involved in several innovative research/development initiatives.
Matt’s area of expertise is multi-res building design ranging from mid-rise supportive housing to high-rise market rate. His professional interests include mass timber, modular/ prefabrication, and high-performance design.
Matt is a licenced Architect with the OAA and a certified Passive House Designer. He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Architecture program & has worked as an adjunct professor at the school since completing his master’s degree in 2009.