Tall wood

Driven by a deepening desire to reduce carbon in the built environment and fueled by advancements in mass timber building materials and technologies, designers are taking wood higher than ever to build tall wood buildings.

Under Construction: BCIT tall timber student housing | Rendering courtesy of Perkins&Will

The case for tall wood buildings

The sustainability benefits of mass timber are a key reason for the growing interest in using wood products to build tall structures. Wood is a readily available renewable resource, sourced right here in British Columbia (B.C.). It has lower embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions compared with non-renewable materials such as steel or concrete. And it continues to store carbon for the life of the building. Mass timber also offers additional benefits, including strength, design versatility, and speed of construction. As of April 2024, building code updates allow for mass timber construction of taller buildings up to 18 storeys high.

The evolution of getting taller

While tall wood buildings can be found all over the world, British Columbia has been a leader in advancing this type of construction. In 2009, BC became the first Canadian jurisdiction allowing residential wood structures of up to six storeys.

In 2014, the Wood Innovation and Design Centre was built in Prince George using local mass timber products. At eight levels (six storeys with a mezzanine plus a penthouse), the milestone project became one of the tallest wood buildings in North America.

That honour was eclipsed in 2017 with the completion of Brock Commons Tallwood House, an 18-storey student residence at the University of British Columbia. This project received international media coverage and recognition for expanding the possibilities of using mass timber in this type of construction. Brock Commons inspired architects, developers, and other building professionals to learn about tall wood design, showing people all around the world what is possible with wood.

Today, B.C. continues to lead, encouraging advancements in technology and design worldwide. A recent example is Tallwood 1 at District 56 in Langford, B.C.—a 12-storey, mass timber multifamily building taking advantage of the two-way spanning capability of CLT. The City of Vancouver have released policies and incentives aimed to promote the construction of high-rise mass timber buildings and transition to more sustainable construction methods.

Tall wood demonstration projects

Since 2020, the Province of British Columbia has invested in advancing mass timber building systems and construction processes through the Mass Timber Demonstration Program (MTDP). The program helps highlight innovation and testing which has led to code updates and technological improvements that promote the advancement of tall wood construction. Current tall wood MTDP recipients include the following.