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Exterior daytime view of low rise Tseshaht Tribal Multiplex and Health Centre showing extensive use of wood including glue-laminated timber (Glulam), post and beam, paneling, and siding

Tseshaht Tribal Multiplex and Health Centre

Location: Port Alberni, B.C.
Architect: Lubor Trubka Associates Architects
Completion: 2007
Photo credit: Rasti Zabka, courtesy of Lubor Trubka Associates Architects

Size
1,521 square metres

Owner
Tseshaht First Nation

Structural Engineer
CWMM Consulting Engineers Ltd.

Structural systems
Low rise
Post + beam
Prefabricated

Project materials
Glue-laminated timber (Glulam)
Millwork
Panelling
Siding

Heavy-timber structure follows the contours of rocky bluff below

To preserve its natural setting, located just outside Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, the Tseshaht Tribal Multiplex and Health Centre’s design elevates its heavy-timber structure and follows the contours and outlines of the rocky bluff below.

Cantilevering the wood structure over the Somass River’s edge doesn’t just make it appear to float, it allows for the concealment of the large services and equipment underneath the floor. All of the small service distribution networks are incorporated within the roof assembly between the exposed ceilings and the surface of the roof. The facility fulfills community, health, cultural, commercial and social functions.

Wood products milled by Nation

The extensive use of wood was chosen for its cultural significance to the Tseshaht First Nation. As the sun travels its daily path, light floods into the carefully sited facility, bathing the many wood surfaces to create a warm and luminous ambiance.

The structure is a combination of open-framed post and beam in-filled with glazing and a limited number of strategically placed sheer walls. It uses a multitude of engineered wood products and lumber products milled by the Tseshaht from wood harvested from their traditional lands. The design deliberately exposes every element of the wood structure as an architectural feature, requiring precision pre-manufacturing of each element, which was done on-site prior to assembly. Much of the on-site construction was carried out by Tseshaht craftsmen.

glue-laminated timber (glulam), millwork, and paneling are all show in this sunny interior image of the Tseshaht Tribal Multiplex and Health Centre which highlights the wooden floors, wooden ceilings, timber beams, and wood accents

Case study: Wood in healthcare

Learn how, using evidence-based design, healthcare architects are exploring the physiological benefits of biophilia in the design of indoor environments, including the Tseshaht Tribal Multiplex and Health Centre in this case study.

Read the case study
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