I certainly have noticed a trend and read many news articles on wood construction for tall building projects since I became owner of Construction Links Media in 2016.

Canada is proud to be one of the leaders in wood construction and this new development by PortLiving in Vancouver is another of many projects currently started or in the design and planning process.

Arnie Gess, Publisher

 

Terrace House, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban, with its highest point sitting at 232 feet above ground level, has received official approval to use exposed mass timber in the top seven stories of the 19-story building, according to the project’s developer, PortLiving.

The issuance of the building permit required approval of an “Alternative Solution” to demonstrate compliance with Vancouver’s building code, thereby allowing the use of mass timber in the construction of a high-rise building. This approval from the Chief Building Official’s Office makes Terrace House the tallest hybrid wood structure approved for construction in North America.

Prior to the official approval of Terrace House, the use of exposed mass timber in a hybrid wood structure of this height had never been permitted in either Canada or the U.S. While there has been much discussion of the environmental benefits of tall mass timber buildings, few exceeding six stories have been permitted or constructed.

The recently completed Brock Commons, an 18-story student residence at the University of British Columbia, was permitted only as an exception to the B.C. building code, and the acceptance was based in part on covering all the timber with fire-rated gypsum wallboard.

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