New demonstration projects showcase B.C.’s growing expertise in advanced mass timber construction

The second intake of the Province’s Mass Timber Demonstration Program continues to expand B.C.’s expertise to advance wood construction, all the while boosting local economies and the province’s competitive advantage. From a multi-purpose civic space to a taller timber residence pioneering prefabricated Passive House technologies, these five projects show what is possible with mass timber.

Monad Granville | A mixed-use nine-storey development in an infill lot in Vancouver’s downtown. It is set to be the first prefabricated Passive House mass timber highrise mixed-use urban housing in the city. | Rendering courtesy of Intelligent City and LWPAC.

Five projects are recipients of Intake 2 funding of the Mass Timber Demonstration Program (MTDP). The MTDP provides funding for incremental costs in the design and construction of buildings that showcase emerging or new mass timber and mass timber hybrid building systems and construction processes. 

The learnings gleaned from these projects will benefit the sector broadly and will:

• Prove the business case for mass timber use and support the costs related to the learning curve associated with increasing adoption of mass timber use in the development and construction sector.
• Showcase best practices and share lessons learned to support future uptake of mass timber technologies.
• Demonstrate performance and commercial success for B.C.-based mass timber technologies, design and construction expertise, and services.
• Undertake virtual design or 3-D modeling to support prefabrication, leveraging the speed of construction and other benefits associated with mass timber and prefabrication of building components.
• Undertake life cycle analysis, greenhouse gas mitigation, or related carbon accounting analysis.