Project Overview
Virtuoso is a six-storey hybrid light-wood frame and mass timber construction residential building located in the Wesbrook Village neighbourhood of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus. The six-storeys of wood sit on top of a two-storey underground parking garage constructed in concrete. The building comprises 106 two- and three-bedroom apartment and townhouse units.
The exterior of the building features exposed wood elements, including horizontal glue-laminated timber (glulam) beams at each floor level and cross-laminated timber (CLT) balcony soffits. Together with the brick cladding on the first five storeys, the wood alludes to the natural character and materials of the nearby Pacific Spirit Regional Park.
For acoustic and thermal comfort, Virtuoso features Energy Star rated windows, hardwood and ceramic floors laid over a semi-rigid acoustic mat, and an air conditioning system that provides both heating and cooling using low velocity tempered air from a central plant located on the first parking level.
Wood Use
Virtuoso departs from the traditional wood-frame construction typical of multi-family residential buildings by introducing CLT panels in place of the more familiar wood I-joist and plywood floors. CLT is also used for the walls of the elevator shafts, the structural roof deck, and exterior balconies.
The exterior and interior walls are light-frame wood construction, with 2×6 Douglas-fir studs used throughout to provide the extra load carrying capacity required for five- and six-storey buildings. The three-layer CLT panels span between party walls and interior load-bearing partitions. Some of these walls include a glulam header beam that cantilever beyond the building envelope to support exterior balconies that are also made from CLT.
Considerable time was taken during the design and development phase to optimize the sizes, connection details and arrangement of CLT panels to minimize waste and maximize the speed of installation. A 3-D model was used to test various options. Other penetrations were drilled on-site, and air conditioning ductwork was run within suspended ceilings.
“Adera is the first developer to adopt the innovative mass timber technology with the Crosslam CLT panels that make up the floors and ceilings of Virtuoso. The installation of this CLT technology is positively disrupting the future of residential development in Vancouver and around the world. It’s faster to assemble, cost effective, safer on-site and produces a lower carbon footprint compared to concrete and steel.”
Eric Andreasen, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Adera Wood Use