Exterior overcast daytime view of Brock Commons Tallwood House under construction with crane lifting prefabricated exterior wall panel with wood-fibre-and-resin cladding into place

Brock Commons: Performance overview

Construction of Brock Commons Tallwood House | Photo credit: KK Law

Building an 18-storey mass timber hybrid student residence

Brock Commons Tallwood House at The University of British Columbia is an 18-story hybrid mass timber student residence. The entire mass timber superstructure, including the prefabricated exterior walls with wood-fibre and resin-cladding, was assembled in 70 days by a crew of nine installers—two months faster than planned.

Because mass timber is a new product for the structure of high-rise buildings, the design and construction of Brock Commons Tallwood House project was closely documented. This data will also be used to inform the development of future tall wood building projects.

This series of six case studies covers the entire process from design and pre-construction and code compliance to design and construction modelling to the construction of the building.

Design and preconstruction

This case study discuss the design and preconstruction of Brock Commons Tallwood House to ensure superior performance and safety.

Code compliance

This case study discusses how the project team ensured code compliance for Brock Commons Tallwood House.

Design modelling

This case study talks about the design modelling done to build Brock Commons Tallwood House including virtual design and construction to coordinate the project team.

Construction overview

This case study provides a construction overview of Brock Commons Tallwood House including outcomes of the three on-site construction phases, concrete, mass timber structure and building envelope, and interiors and building systems.

Construction modelling

This case study covers the construction modelling for Brock Commons Tallwood House including virtual design and construction to facilitate planning and communication throughout the project.

Performance overview

This case study covers the performance overview of Brock Commons Tallwood House including structural elements, building systems, building envelope, durability, moisture control and fire.

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