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Student’s Timber Haven

16 September 2025

Work is progressing steadily on the Vancouver Island University Student Housing project in Nanaimo. Designed by hcma, the ten-storey building features a four-storey concrete podium with an additional six storeys of mass timber above.⁠

⁠The raft slab at grade has been completed, and ongoing concrete work is currently focused on the level 3 slab pours. Simultaneously, work is taking shape on the three reinforced concrete cores that form the building’s primary lateral resisting system, located at the stairs and elevators.⁠

⁠Looking ahead, the transfer slab at level 4 will mark the transition to timber construction. From that point, the building is expected to rise quickly, thanks to the efficient structural system of point-supported CLT slabs and HSS steel columns, paired with a pre-fabricated envelope by Centura Building Systems.

WoodWorks Issue – 16 Sep 2025

Welcome

Greetings from your WoodWorks team. Techlam has been awarded the structural timber package for the Tonga Parliament redevelopment project, where they will supply and fabricate glulam timber for their new Fale Alea, showcasing NZ-made engineered timber on the international stage.

Since Rotorua recently hosted the International Timber Bridges Conference, we thought it was timely to showcase this beauty to be – the world’s largest integral timber bridge!

In news from MiTek, they’ve recently doubled their Melbourne footprint in a major investment to boost industry innovation and capacity, reflecting their commitment to the growth of the frame and truss industry across Australia and New Zealand.

The Vancouver Island University Student Housing project in Nanaimo is progressing steadily, with the completion of the raft slab and ongoing concrete work on the level 3 slab pours, and is expected to rise quickly once timber construction begins at level 4.

The three-storey, 100,000 sq. ft. facility designed by Reimagine will enhance access to coordinated healthcare in the region, featuring a teaching clinic for medical residents, a concrete parkade, and a flexible superstructure with glulam columns and beams.

The 12-storey Valckensteyn residential complex in Rotterdam, the tallest affordable living timber building in the Netherlands, was constructed using Binderholz’s solid wood products and prefabricated walls, resulting in 82 flats.

Registrations are open for our national WoodWorks Conference, 4-5 November in Rotorua. Sign up now to receive the Super Early Bird rate.

 

Editor's Signature
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16 September 2025

Techlam wins Tonga Parliament project

Techlam has been awarded the structural timber package for the Tonga Parliament redevelopment project. We will supply and fabricate glulam timber for the new NZ$60 million Fale Alea, which is...
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16 September 2025

World’s Largest Integral Timber Bridge

Over the past few weeks, the 45-meter-long block-glued timber beams have been successfully completed and are now ready to be lifted into their final position across the B38 in hashtag#Mannheim....
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16 September 2025

MiTek Doubles Melbourne Footprint

MiTek is proud to announce the significant expansion of its Melbourne facility in Dandenong South – a generational investment that will more than double the size of the existing site....
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16 September 2025

Student’s Timber Haven

Work is progressing steadily on the Vancouver Island University Student Housing project in Nanaimo. Designed by hcma, the ten-storey building features a four-storey concrete podium with an additional six storeys...
Read More
Image
16 September 2025

Maskawa Medical Centre

Designed by Reimagine, this three-storey, 100,000 sq. ft. purpose-built facility will improve access to coordinated healthcare in the region. It will house a range of healthcare services and includes a...
Read More
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16 September 2025

Mass Timber Magic in Rotterdam

At 40 metres, the 12-storey Valckensteyn residential complex in Rotterdam is the tallest affordable living timber building in the Netherlands. For the first time, binderholz’s b_project department not only used...
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16 September 2025

And one to end on… Linguistics lesson

A linguistics professor was lecturing his class. “In English,” he explained, “a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative.”...
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