Mass timber constriction, post & beam, CLT (cross-laminated timber) & prefabrication are prominently featured in this nighttime exterior view of the Penticton Lakeside Resort West Wing mid rise

West Wing, Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre

Location: Penticton, B.C.
Architect: HDR, Inc.
Completion: 2017
Photo courtesy of Mercer Mass Timber LLC

Size
4,665 square metres

Structural Engineer
RJC Engineers

Construction Manager
Greyback Construction

Wood Supplier
Mercer Mass Timber LLC

Structural systems
Mass timber
Mid rise
Post + beam
Prefabricated

Project materials
Cross-laminated timber (CLT)
Glue-laminated timber (Glulam)

Species
Douglas-fir

Locally produced CLT for six-storey hotel

Speed of construction, reduced building weight and the cachet of a timber design convinced the owners of Penticton Lakeside Resort to use wood instead of concrete when expanding their waterfront resort.

Why mass timber for hotel: speed, lightweight, and cachet of timber design

Situated on the south end of Okanagan Lake, an area popular with tourists and locals alike for its recreational activities, wineries, and fruit orchards; this six-storey, 70-unit hotel sets a new standard for the use of mass timber in commercial and hospitality projects.

Lakeside Resort’s owner wanted to open the doors to the new hotel in time for the busy summer season. The six-storey structure was completed in just under one year, and all project members agree that meeting the target completion date would not have been possible without using CLT.

The property is located on a flood plain in Penticton, and most new buildings in the area need to be built on pilings, so the lightweight nature of wood was a definite advantage. By using CLT, the overall building weight was reduced, allowing them to use a more traditional concrete foundation instead of pile foundations, saving money and time.

The compromised soil conditions of the floodplain site meant that the reduced weight of mass timber compared to concrete lowered the construction costs significantly. Each floor consists of 70 locally produced CLT panels.

A unique and modern addition to Penticton’s waterfront

The exposed timber structure—made of a Douglas-fir glulam post-and-beam frame with CLT floors, roof, shear walls, stairwells, and stairs—envelops visitors with a sense of warmth and modern rusticity. Glulam was also used to build a dramatic nine-metre-high wall using a double lattice of beams to frame the windows.

The floor panels were loaded on the truck at the factory not far from the site and lifted by crane and lowered into place in a single movement. Each floor took an average of one week to install and the entire building was completed in just under a year, in time for the resort’s busy summer season.

“There’s a lot of money left on the table if you miss a summer at a resort like this. When you compress a construction schedule by using prefabricated wood panel products, it results in real, intended financial benefits.”

DAVID PRYSTAY, GENERAL MANAGER, RPB HOTELS & RESORTS
Mass timber constriction, post & beam, CLT (cross-laminated timber) & prefabrication are prominently featured in this nighttime exterior view of the Penticton Lakeside Resort West Wing mid rise
Photo courtesy of Mercer Mass Timber LLC

Case study: Wood in hospitality and tourism

This case study demonstrates how design, functionality and aesthetics of a structure are vital components to success in the competitive hospitality industry.

Case study: West Wing, Penticton Lakeside Resort carbon balance analysis

Duncan Griffin from HDR Seattle explains the concept of triple net-zero buildings and the role of embodied carbon. The video features Penticton Lakeside Resort as an example to explain carbon balance analysis.

Opens in new tab