The Treehouse – “Retirement Living” is constructed by Element5 in conjunction with Farrow Partnership Architects Ontario, and has developed a new approach to senior living, constructed with mass timber.

Proposing a new typology for senior living as a community-based concept that integrates the benefits of timber with a design that improves the physical and mind health of older people.

The name Treehouse derives from the concept’s key feature: a double-height common area located four stories above ground level. Accessible by elevators, but intended primarily by a set of open stairs, this upper-level perch offers a constant connection to the outside world though aerial views and tree canopy sightlines, providing residents with an ongoing relationship with the changing seasons, weather patterns and time of day.

Typically, multi-unit housing locates common areas, such as dining rooms and shared kitchens, on the ground level, with residential units above. Several benefits emerge when these gathering spaces are placed higher up, where windows bring in daylight. The visual prospect and sensory stimulation derived from aerial views is especially important for those who may have mobility issues and can’t easily venture outdoors.

Element5 is a mass timber manufacturer specializing in the design, fabrication and assembly of contemporary timber structures. We work with solid wood, the world’s most flexible and only renewable building resource. Our products are: CLT, Glulam, CLIPs, Boxx and nanoCLT. Element5 is unlike any other mass timber firm in the sector. We are a focused and dedicated team of designers, craftspeople and assembly experts. According to their website, they serve a community of forward-thinking architects, owners, developers, and general contractors by providing timber construction cost consulting, design consulting, engineering, fabrication and assembly services.

Their integrated customer-oriented approach ensures the delivery of high-precision timber structures. Founded in 2015, with offices in Toronto and a manufacturing plant in St. Thomas, Element5 are innovators in the mass timber construction revolution.

“We view timber as the essential building material of the 21st century and strive to make a positive contribution to communities, the environment and future generations.”

SOURCE: Mass Timber Group via LinkedIn

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