Red Deer College Student Residence – Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer College (RDC) Student Residence is a 5,800-sq.m. (60,000-sq.ft.), five-storey wooden structure with 145 units, designed and completed to meet the 300-bed demand for the Canada Winter Games in early 2019. RDC envisioned a building that would be a welcoming, fun home base for students; the college was well aware that isolation and lack of community support for students have a negative influence on their ability to perform in the classroom and can negatively impact their mental health and well-being. The goal was to create a “residence” that felt more like a home.
Manasc Isaac Architects, led by Vedran Škopac, proposed a hybrid between a student residence and a set of seven distinct “public gathering spaces,” scattered around the perimeter of all five storeys of the building. As part of the plan, Škopac’s team increased the conventional amount of social space by a factor of 10. The residence also functions as a hotel, providing accommodation for short- and longterm visits.
Another design mandate was to incorporate sustainable features, which influenced the decision to utilize a wood structure with a high performance building envelope that maximizes thermal performance and comfort. With a construction budget of $18.5 million, funding allowed for photovoltaic panels cladding the east, south and west faces, which provides approximately 45 percent of all energy the student residence requires. Although the building was not aiming for certification, it was designed to a LEED Gold standard.
As an example of an innovative approach to dormitory housing, Red Deer College Student Residence prioritizes quality of life and sustainability, while using mass timber construction to achieve both goals. These are some of the reasons it won a 2019 Wood Design & Building Canadian Wood Council Award.
Ontario’s first mass timber commercial building in over 100 years, 80 Atlantic pioneers a new urban office typology for potentially many more timber-frame projects across the province, and the country. Comprising four storeys of mass timber above a one-storey concrete podium, the 8,825-sq.m. (95,000-sq.ft.) building completes a courtyard with 60 Atlantic to create a paired commercial development. Revisions to the Ontario Building Code in 2015 made it possible to build commercial wood buildings up to six storeys high. The developer and architect saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the rapidly developing field of mass timber, and to attract tenants seeking a premium workplace environment associated with innovation and sustainability. The client requested that the building harmonize with the Liberty Village neighbourhood, noted for its wealth of converted factories and warehouses, which attract high-calibre, creative tenants in this section of downtown Toronto.
Mark Twain called Anne of Green Gables, “The sweetest creation of child life yet written.” He sent the author Lucy Maud Montgomery a letter of praise, congratulating her on her writing. This was over 100 years ago and, ever since, the story of Anne has captured the imaginations of people from all over the world.
Green Gables, the name of a 19th-century farm in Cavendish, Prince Ed – ward Island, is the setting for the popular Anne of Green Gables novels by L.M. Montgomery. The property has become one of the most visited Federal Parks in Canada, and an iconic tourist destination. Visitors travel here to reconnect with their own childhood memories of Anne, or to create new ones. Part of Parks Canada since the 1930s, the property includes the main Green Gables house, the Haunted Wood trail and Lovers Lane.
A 2015 study revealed a need for more exhibit space and enhanced amenities on site to not only tell the story of Anne, but also that of her creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery. Parks Canada acted on the study by creating an extensive program which would be constructed in three distinct phases. Phase I was completed in the spring of 2017. The Green Gables Visitors’ Centre, Phase II, consisting of an exhibit hall, gift shop, ticket/ information areas, offices and new washrooms and lobby, was completed in the spring of 2019. Phase III was to decommission the temporary gift shop in Phase I and transform it into a new café and commercial kitchen.
Laurentian University McEwen School of Architecture – Sudbury, ON
Located in Sudbury, Ontario, Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture is the first new school of architecture to be built in Canada in 40 years. Its mandate is to provide a uniquely integrated, uniquely focused education to Indigenous, Anglophone, and Francophone students. It is the only school of architecture outside of Québec to offer French-language studio courses, and the first to include offices for Indigenous Elders, who play a central role in the school. The curriculum addresses resilient architecture and fabrication techniques for northern latitudes, with an emphasis on Indigenous culture, wood construction, local ecologies and resources, and design for the impact of climate change. The school is a didactic instrument with structural and HVAC design elements purposefully exposed in each of the various buildings. The multi-phase development of the McEwen school began with the adaptive reuse of the site’s two existing heritage structures. The two storey CPR ticket and telegraph building (circa 1914) became faculty offices and a boardroom, and the single-storey market building became a temporary studio before ultimately transforming into the fabrication laboratory once the new studio spaces were constructed. Phase two of the project included the construction of a 36,480 ft2 steel-and-concrete Studio Wing, and the new 15,670 ft2 CLT Library Wing which is the focus of this case study. By combining the two repurposed heritage buildings with 52,150 ft2 of new construction, the McEwen School of Architecture demonstrates the properties of wood, steel, concrete, and masonry construction, and illustrates to students the structural potential and aesthetic qualities of each.
IBS4 – Sustainability and Life Cycle Analysis for Residential Buildings
Environmental awareness in building design, construction and operation is stronger than ever. But how can we meet the world’s rapidly growing need for buildings and still be environmentally responsible? Although construction is never fully benign for the environment, designers and builders can make choices to minimize the impact. Wood plays an important part in sustainable design, as shown by scientific analysis.
Canada’s Blueprint for Mass Timber Success Unveiled at Parliament Hill
June 13, 2024 (Ottawa)– Earlier today, The Transition Accelerator unveiled The Mass Timber Roadmap at the Press Conference Room in the West Block on Parliament Hill. The comprehensive report outlines an ambitious and strategic vision for the future of mass timber in Canada and its potential to transform green construction and drive economic growth across the country.
Developed in partnership with Canadian Wood Council (CWC), Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), and Energy Futures Lab (EFL), The Mass Timber Roadmap comes after more than a decade of collaborative efforts to unlock and demonstrate potential of mass timber and lays out a visionary plan to increase the mass timber market – both domestic and exports – to $1.2 billion by 2030 and to $2.4 billion by 2035.
This ambitious growth aligns with increasing market demand in North America and around the world. By leveraging the power of mass timber solutions, Canada has a unique opportunity to enable the construction of residential and commercial structures at greater speeds, with lower costs, and with a lighter carbon footprint; all while capturing a share of the rapidly growing global market.
Achieving targets laid out in The Mass Timber Roadmap requires coordinated efforts across three critical action areas and the report provides actionable next steps, including:
Public-Private Collaboration: The Mass Timber Roadmap calls for a partnership between public and private sectors to develop and advance a comprehensive policy package that will enhance the value of Canada’s forest resources while building domestic capacity along the supply chain.
Standardization: There is a need to standardize building archetypes, wood specifications, and connectors throughout the supply chain to streamline processes and reduce costs.
Skills Development: Implementing a robust skills development plan that encompasses all aspects of the supply chain is essential to support the sector’s growth.
Today’s event on Parliament Hill featured the following speakers who highlighted the roadmap’s goals and the promising future for mass timber in Canada, followed by an engaging Q&A session with journalists:
Derek Eaton, Director of Future Economy, The Transition Accelerator
Derek Nighbor, President and CEO, Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC)
Kate Lindsay, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC)
Rick Jeffery, President and CEO, Canadian Wood Council (CWC)
“The mass timber sector provides a perfect example of how Canada can add value to its primary resources through innovative technologies and advanced skills. If we act strategically and quickly, we have the opportunity to build an industry that reduces emissions, addresses urgent needs, and positions Canada to win in emerging global value chains.” – Derek Eaton, The Transition Accelerator
“To build a world-class mass timber sector, Canada must adopt a strategic approach to ensure we can compete and win globally. This is about smart policy here at home and bringing more Canadian wood to our cities and to the world. By enabling faster, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly construction with mass timber we can grow jobs, help address the affordable housing crunch, and reduce emissions.” – Kate Lindsay, Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC)
“The potential for Canadian wood products to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment and drive the growth of a sustainable and prosperous wood industry is immense; however, global competition to capitalize on the significant economic opportunities mass timber presents in the transition to a lower-carbon world will require us to act swiftly to stay competitive and meet rapidly emerging domestic demand.” – Rick Jeffery, Canadian Wood Council (CWC)
Design Guide for Timber Concrete Composite Floors
CLT classrooms: A pilot project in Washington State
Architectural Assemblies Simplified: Understanding Structural Grids: Acoustics and Envelopes in Wood Buildings
Application of CLT in high‐end custom homes and mixed‐use residential buildings
Advancing North American Mass Timber Projects: Harnessing the Strength of Local Expertise
A Zero Carbon Hybrid Wood Supertall Future
Delivering Mid-Rise Housing Solutions – Part 2 Mass Timber
Canadian Wood Council Welcomes Federal Investment in Forestry Innovation and Housing Solutions
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