Size10,500 square metres
OwnerCommunity Land Trust in partnership with Province of British Columbia, Government of Canada and City of Vancouver
Structural EngineerFast + Epp
ContractorKindred Construction
Mass Timber SupplierKalesnikoff
Structural systemsHybrid/ WoodMass TimberPanelizedPrefabricatedPassive House / High PerformanceTaller Wood
Wood productsCross-laminated timber (CLT)
SpeciesDouglas-fir
This socially inclusive, affordable housing project in Vancouver’s West End demonstrates how mass timber can offer cost-effective, sustainable construction while reducing embodied carbon and enhancing occupant wellness.
Located in the heart of Vancouver’s West End, this 17-storey tall-timber building delivers 154 much-needed affordable apartments to individuals, seniors and families—including those affected by HIV/AIDS. The CLT-hybrid encapsulated structure, designed with a concrete podium, reduces embodied carbon compared to traditional concrete high-rises while offering residents safe, high-quality, community-based housing in a well-connected urban setting.
The project offers a diverse mix of housing options, including studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, all operated by a local housing society that also provides support services. Many units feature multiple exposures, maximizing natural light and cross ventilation. Family-sized units include private balconies, while smaller units have Juliette balconies, offering urban, ocean and garden views.
Residents have access to a variety of shared indoor and outdoor spaces that foster community engagement, health and well-being. A third-floor outdoor atrium integrates horizontal and vertical planting, creating a lush, inviting space for relaxation and gardening. On the seventh floor, a sunlit terrace accommodates outdoor gatherings with children’s play areas, BBQ spaces and urban agriculture. Inside, double-height communal hubs span floors three through six, providing residents with spaces to socialize and connect. A larger, indoor lounge on the seventh floor offers additional communal space with direct access to the adjoining outdoor terrace.
At street level, the building strengthens the neighbourhood’s social fabric with ground-floor retail and a new home for QMUNITY, a vital resource for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. This includes dedicated space for counselling, educational workshops, peer support and community events. The project’s two underground levels provide a number of vehicle parking spaces and over 250 secure bike storage spots.
The building’s superstructure combines a hybrid structural system of a concrete core, steel HSS columns and advanced CLT floor assemblies. The precision-engineered layers of the mass timber panels, bonded with structural adhesives, create a durable, lightweight material with high strength-to-weight ratios. Prefabricated CLT components, manufactured using advanced computer numerical control (CNC) machinery, achieve millimetre-level precision, ensuring seamless assembly.
By integrating encapsulated CLT floors with a concrete topping, steel HSS columns and a concrete core—along with additional acoustic measures—the hybrid system addresses noise transfer and vibration.
Prefabricated steel and two-way spanning CLT plates enable rapid on-site assembly while minimizing structural intrusion and floor-to-floor height. This design maximizes space efficiency and allows greater flexibility in unit layouts. The hybrid mass timber system also streamlines construction, reducing waste, noise and timelines while ensuring high-quality assembly.
981 Davie Street’s mass timber elements enhance energy performance and reduce embodied carbon through sequestration, aligning with environmental targets.
Designed to meet Passive House standards, the building’s heating and cooling systems operate independently, ensuring consistent ventilation with minimal energy use. CLT panels offer excellent thermal mass, helping to minimize thermal bridging. Features such as a low window-to-wall ratio, operable triple-glazed Passive House-certified windows and fixed solar shading optimize natural light, airflow and circulation while reducing solar heat gain by nearly 27 per cent. Suite-by-suite heat recovery ventilators with 85 per cent efficiency, combined with a variable refrigerant flow system, provide precise heating and cooling control.
Additionally, the fully electrified building relies on British Columbia’s energy grid, powered by 95 per cent renewable sources. According to projections, the project’s Passive House strategies reduce the building’s energy use intensity by 72 per cent compared to the baseline set by the Architecture 2030 Zero Tool (external link).
