OCCUPYING 18 STOREYS of the Vancouver skyline and taking just 70 days to build, the University of British Columbia hopes that Brock Commons will become a trendsetter.
The student accommodation is 53 metres tall and was completed less than 70 days after the prefabricated components were first delivered to the site. Construction will now focus on interior elements, with completion expected in early May 2017 — 18 per cent (or four months) faster than a typical project. The building is expected to welcome more than 400 students in September 2017.
“This remarkable building, the first of its kind in the world, is another shining example of Canadian ingenuity and innovation, an apt demonstration of how Canada’s forest industry is finding new opportunities through technology and innovation — opening up a world of possibilities for our forest and construction industries,” said Jim Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources.
Brock Commons is the first mass wood, steel and concrete hybrid project taller than 14 storeys in the world. The building has a concrete podium and two concrete cores, with 17 storeys of cross-laminated-timber floors supported on glue-laminated wood columns. The cladding for the facade is made with 70 per cent wood fibre.
“Brock Commons is living proof that advanced wood products are a terrific material to build with and support efficient assembly. It also showcases new applications for B.C. lumber, leading to new job opportunities in BC’s forest industry,” said Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
As a “living laboratory,” Brock Commons will also be a source of learning through interdisciplinary research and educational projects undertaken by UBC faculty, staff and students.
The project is expected to cost approximately CA$51.5 million, with CA$47.07 million financed by UBC.
Wood is a sustainable and versatile building material that stores, rather than emits, carbon dioxide. By using wood, the impact is a reduction of 2,432 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide compared to other construction materials, the equivalent of taking around 500 cars off the road for a year.
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