Firm Plans 18-Storey Wooden Residential Tower in Vancouver

The proposed Tall Wood Building

CANADA’S Acton Ostry Architects, in collaboration with tall wood advisor Architekten Hermann Kaufmann, has begun construction on the appropriately named “Tall Wood Building,” an 18-story, 53-meter residential tower for Canada’s University of British Columbia (UBC) upper year and graduate students.

The tower will be the world’s tallest wooden residential tower, but may not hold that title for long: MGA’s 35-story Baobab in Paris is still awaiting approval, according to Architect’s newspapers..



The building will house approximately 400 students and include 33 four-bed units and 272 studio apartments. The ground floor of the tower will feature both study and social areas, and the communal student lounge will be located on the top floor. The cost for students to live in this building will be similar to other on-campus living options.

Located on Walter Gage Road north of the North Parkade, the CAD$51.5 million (USD$37 million), mass timber superstructure will sit upon a solid concrete base. The building’s façade will be comprised of both white- and charcoal-colored prefabricated metal panels.

“This beautiful, new tall wood building will serve as a living laboratory for the UBC community,” UBC Interim President Martha Piper said in a statement. “It will advance the university’s reputation as a hub of sustainable and innovative design and provide our students with much-needed on-campus housing.”

In addition to being a student residence, the building will also act as an academic site for both UBC students and researchers. The university is currently working toward achieving a minimum of LEED Gold for the tower. The building is scheduled to complete by 2017.

Sourced- Guardian