Construction of Fast + Epp’s four-storey mass timber hybrid office located near Vancouver’s Broadway and Cambie intersection has been completed.

The new building was erected at 7^th Ave. and Yukon St. in four weeks using cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor and wall panels, glulam beams and steel posts. Exterior wall panels including firewall at the property line were pre-clad with membrane and insulation.

“As a living laboratory, it is exciting to be able to test new ideas and technologies beyond the construction phase, but also throughout the life of the building, and create a safe and healthy work environment,” said Fast + Epp founder Paul Fast in a statement.

The office building uses Tectonus devices, an earthquake-resistance technology being used for the first time in North America, according to a Fast + Epp statement. The connectors act as shock absorbers and are installed at the base of the CLT shear walls and will be left uncovered as part of the design esthetic along with exposed timber in the building’s interior.

The floor system, consisting of 105-millimetre-thick CLT panels with a 50-millimetre concrete topping, is being tested by Fast + Epp using accelerometers to assess vibration performance.

An electro-chromatic glazing system, which can be automated or remotely controlled to adjust tint levels to save energy will also be used on the north, south and west elevations.

The office is being designed by Fast + Epp in collaboration with f2a architect ltd. and HCMA. Move-in by the firm is anticipated for late 2020.

Photo: The superstructure for Fast + Epp’s new mass-timber hybrid home office located near Cambie and Broadway in Vancouver has been completed. Credit: MICHAEL ELKAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Source: Journal of Commerce