At 18 storeys high, The University of British Columbia’s newest residence is said to be the tallest wood building in the world. Bill Downing, president of Structurlam Products, the company that supplied the wooden components of the structure, spoke to BNN about what went into the construction process.   

How It’s Made

The building is a hybrid structure made of timber, but it uses steel connectors and its first two floors are made of concrete. Downing said all of the wood was pre-fabricated in his company’s Okanagan plant before it was shipped to Vancouver. He also said large amounts of drywall were used to encapsulate the wood.

Cost

The building would have cost about the same amount to make if it were built using concrete, Downing said. The extra drywall used to surround the wood added to the cost from the materials side. However, the building went up “amazingly quickly” in just nine weeks, which helped cut down the overall costs involved in the project.  

The Risk of a Fire

Downing said while fire is a concern, the nature of the wood makes it easy to predict how long the building’s structure would last in flames. “Because we are using mass timber elements here, typically they perform well and [….] they char at a very predictable rate,” he said. 

A Low-Carbon Emitter

With wood emitting less carbon than concrete, Downing said “it’s a superior product” that uses much less energy to make. “Wood is the only renewable building material we have,” he said.