Living Labs Lecture Series

BCIT’s Tall Timber Student Housing building makes use of innovative mass timber technology. The explosion of interest in mass timber construction has led to a rapid evolution in the Building Code to allow the construction of larger and taller buildings. These changes are underpinned by improved fire engineering knowledge base.

GHL, who are the Fire Engineers and Code Consultants for the Tall Timber Student Housing project, discussed their work on the project and the overall fire engineering principles and construction solutions the relate to mass timber buildings.

• Fire engineering principles and fire testing of mass timber
• TTSH mass timber design, challenges and lessons learned
• New BC Building Code 2024 code changes affecting mass timber design, including new provisions for exposed timber and construction fire safety
• Role of a fire engineer and code consultant in the design and construction process.
• Regulatory process in relation to mass timber construction
• Other mass timber projects GHL is involved with.

GHL Consultants is a consulting firm specializing in fire engineering and Building Code consulting. With over 30 years of experience, our team is renowned for professional advice and innovative solutions in fire safety and building codes. We address complex fire engineering challenges in projects from small buildings to large mixed-use developments throughout Canada. Our strength lies in our diversified background and experience, enabling us to provide a wide range of services, including Building and Fire Code consulting, Certified Professional services, advanced CFD modeling, fire risk analysis, structural fire engineering, legal opinion, and forensic investigation. Our expertise extends to objective-based Codes, performance based design, and developing alternative solutions to meet regulatory compliance.

Presenters

Naki Ocran, MASc, P Eng, CP: Principal:  GHL Consultants

Naki Ocran is a Professional Engineer and Certified Professional with 10 years of experience as a Building Code consultant. Naki holds a Master of Applied Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Carleton University, specializing in Fire Safety Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Naki is a Principal at GHL with expertise in Building Code requirements and the application of the Fire Science and Engineering, with a special emphasis on mass timber buildings, evacuation modeling, and heat transfer analysis.  Naki is a registered member of Engineers and Geoscientists BC.

Darrell LI, P Eng, CP: Associate: GHL Consultants

Darrell Li is a Professional Engineer registered with Engineers and Geoscientists BC and is a Certified Professional. He is a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Technology program and holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. An Associate of GHL Consultants Ltd, Darrell has 7 years’ experience in Fire Science and Building Code consulting. Darrell has specialized expertise in not only the written Building Code requirements, but also in the application of the Fire Science and Engineering of Building Code requirements. Darrell focuses on the implementation of performance-based fire engineering design, Building Code Compliance, and the development of alternative solutions.

Budget control matters in construction, whether your project is a small repair or a new building complex requiring major capital investment.

Quantity Surveyors work with both owners and contractors in planning and managing the contractual and financial side of construction. This role helps support projects from initial planning, through design, tendering, and payment certification.

Quantity Surveyor Mark Russell (Senior Partner at LEC Group), explored how Quantity Surveyors contribute to success of projects. This will draw on Mark’s work on projects at BCIT.

Topics included

• The role of the Quantity Surveyor in construction and other sectors
• Where would a QS be involved in a project?  Budget planning to design, tendering, payment certification review at the construction site, contractor delay claim analysis.
• When would a project need a Quantity Surveyor?
• Career paths for students interested in QS work
• Certification for Quantity Surveyors.

Presenter: Mark Russell, Professional Quantity Surveyor, Senior Partner at LEC Group

LEC Group

LEC Group were formed in Vancouver in 1984 and have advised on over 3,300 projects with a construction value of over $26 billion throughout B.C., across Canada, and the USA.

LEC Group provides cost planning, payment certification, loan monitoring, master planning, functional programming, change order review, life cycle costing, and dispute resolution services.

Mark Russell

Mark is a Professional Quantity Surveyor, Chartered Quantity Surveyor, and the Senior Partner at LEC Group, a Quantity Surveying practice based in Downtown Vancouver.

Mark has extensive experience with both public and private sector projects and has provided cost advice in all stages of design for projects large and small for over 30 years.

Mark’s specific experience at LEC Group focuses on the construction and renovation of post-secondary education facilities, aviation projects, casino resorts, hotel projects, K-12 schools, recreational facilities, and healthcare projects.  He has also been sworn and accepted as an Expert Witness in the BC Supreme Court.

Over the last few months, work has been continuing to install the curtain wall assemblies and encapsulate the mass timber on the Tall Timber Student Housing project.

Now with this complete, attention can turn more fully to the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. In a building as complex as student housing systems like generators, lighting and lighting controls, security and alarm systems are all part of the project electrical design.

In this Living Labs lecture WSP who are the electrical consultants for Tall Timber Student Housing explored their role in this major project integrating these crucial electrical systems in the building’s design.

Topics included the design challenges of developing and installing electrical systems for a mass timber building, coordination with the consultant team, and what the new generation of smart buildings means for electrical systems.

Presenters:

• Andrew Tashiro, Senior Principal, Buildings, WSP
• Kelvin Siu, Electrical Engineer, Buildings, WSP
• Johnson Huang, Senior Engineer, ICT & Security Specialist, Buildings, WSP

WSP

As one of the world’s leading professional services firms, WSP provides technical expertise and strategic advice to clients in the Transportation & Infrastructure, Property & Buildings, Environment, Industry, Resources and Energy sectors, as well as offering project and program delivery and advisory services. Our experts include engineers, advisors, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. With approximately 70,000 talented people in 550 offices across 40 countries—more than 12,000 in Canada—we are uniquely positioned to deliver successful and sustainable projects, wherever our clients need us.

Guichon Creek is a major feature of BCIT’s Burnaby Campus.

While the south section is a vibrant riparian habitat, on the north of the campus the creek runs underground in a culvert, which was installed in the 1960’s. BCIT eventually plans to daylight as much of the creek as possible on campus.  This is on a voluntary basis and not government mandated.

In 2023 a sinkhole emerged close to the BCIT Recreation Services Centre caused by damage to this old underground culvert.

This provided an opportunity for an unique project to repair the damage by removing the damaged culvert and daylighting the section of creek, restoring it to a more natural state.

Find out more about how this fascinating project was achieved and the lessons learned that could be applied to daylighting other waterways.

Experts from KWL and McElhanney worked to develop engineering and environmental solutions for this project.

Discussion topics included:

• Guichon Creek Watershed, Drainage Studies, and Campus Master Plan
• History of Guichon Creek at the Weir
• The Sinkhole Project Opportunity Identified
• Design Challenges & Constraints
• Construction Challenges
• Construction and Final Product – The Sinkhole Today
• Upcoming Projects & Next Steps for the BCIT Campus Vision

Presenters:

KWL

• Caroline Charbonneau, MASc, PEng; Stormwater Engineer
• Andrew Kolper, PEng; Senior Hydrotechnical Engineer
• Alan Jonsson, Ichthyo Fluvial Specialist

McElhanney

• Marco Cusano, P.Eng., MBA, PMP, Civil Engineering Project Manager
• Anita Kyle, EIT, Civil Engineering Designer
• Emily MacInnis, B.Sc., Biologist

KWL 

Kerr Wood LeidaI Associates Ltd. is a BC-based, employee-owned firm focused on water and water-related planning and infrastructure projects.

McElhanney

With over 110 years in business, McElhanney is a trusted and experienced professional consulting firm, whose 30+ branch offices have longstanding relationships with clients and communities across Western Canada, and beyond.

The last few months have been an exciting time for construction on the Tall Timber Student Housing Project. Construction of the structural steel frame has been completed and work to install the mass timber assemblies is well underway.

Building with prefabricated mass timber assemblies require careful coordination with subcontractors and consultants to ensure they can be rapidly installed to specification.

Previous lectures have focused on specific systems in the building. This lecture by Ledcor Construction Limited, General Contractor for Tall Timber Student Housing, looked at the role the general contractor plays in ensuring all these elements are coordinated to deliver this complex and ambitious project.

Topics included the differences between managing mass timber and conventional builds, the use of digital modelling to assist construction, and the challenges of site management.

Speakers:

• Logan Vandervelde, Senior Project Manager Ledcor Construction Limited
• Cole Edwards, Project Manager Ledcor Construction Limited

BCIT’s new student housing building makes use of prefabricated elements to allow for faster and more efficient construction.

A key part of this is a specially designed prefabricated Modular Envelope (PME) and Curtainwall system that is installed onto the mass-timber assemblies. The core of this design is a factory-assembled modular exterior wall that will deliver a quality, interlocking, airtight assembly. This also needs to deliver improved thermal performance to meet the energy performance standards.

This is manufactured by Flynn in Surrey before being delivered to site for installation.

This Living Labs lecture covered the design and installation process for this crucial element of the building. It brought together the core team of experts who worked on the system: structural engineers Fast and Eps, envelope consultants RDH, and manufacturers Flynn to provide a thorough overview of this bespoke solution.

Speakers:

• Jamie Pobre Sullivan – Associate: Fast and Epp
• Michael Wilkinson | Associate, Building Science Engineer, RDH
• Dan Geddes – Business Development Manager – Major Projects, Flynn Canada

BCIT’s new Tall Timber Student Housing is one of the largest buildings in the Lower Mainland to make use of mass timber assemblies.

The design features a hybrid Cross Laminated Timber point-supported structure, consisting of mass timber (CLT) floors supported on steel HSS columns.

Each CLT panel is prefabricated to exact specifications from multiple alternating layers of dried lumber that are then pressed together, before being delivered to site for installation on the steel structure.  This prefabricated CLT panelized design speeds up construction and limits trade overlap on site.

The design is intended to allow an entire floor to be installed in one week.

Project Structural Engineers Fast+ Epp and Kalesnikoff, who are fabricating the mass timber panels in their vertically integrated facility in the Kootenays, presented on the process of creating a mass timber system for such a large building. They looked at the design challenges of using CLT in a multi-story building, as well as how the mass timber panels are integrated with steel HSS columns.

Presenters:

• Jamie Pobre Sullivan: Associate Fast+ Epp
• Enrique Gonzalez: Project Manager Kalesnikoff

BCIT’s new buildings in the Trades and Technology Complex project are being designed to meet the highest performance standards for energy efficiency. This supports the Institute’s Greenhouse Gas reduction strategy. To achieve this each of the major elements of the building’s design must contribute to that overall performance standard.

This lecture focused on one of the most important parts of any high-performance building, the envelope. The design of the envelope can integrate passive environmental strategies such as solar heat gain control, controlled south light, ambient north light, stack effect, cross ventilation and operable windows for optimal management of heat, air and thermal performance. The envelope is also crucial to the building’s structural support and overall aesthetics.

Experts from RDH who are envelope consultants for the Concert Properties Centre for Trades & Technology, Campus Services Centre and Tall Timber Student Housing projects presented on the key considerations in designing a building envelope for a high performance or passive house building. Topics included assemblies, airtightness, details and a guide to thermal bridging in the design of the envelope.

Brian Hubbs is a Principal and Senior Building Science Specialist at RDH. Brian has over 25 years’ experience as a consultant practicing exclusively in the field of building science.   Brian is a practical Facade engineer and researcher. He has a unique blend of theoretical and hands-on knowledge gained from designing Facades for new buildings,  as well as completing hundreds of forensic investigations,  rehabilitation and research projects. Brian has extensive experience with high-rise and Iconic façade systems, components, and materials and has designed new and innovative facade systems for high-rise wood and passive house projects. An engaging and vibrant presenter, he regularly speaks at seminars, conferences, and guest lectures on a wide range of building science and Façade Engineering topics.

Michael Wilkinson is an Associate and Building Science Engineer at RDH. He has provided consulting services across a range of building typologies with a focus on high performance and innovative building projects including those that are Passive House, mass timber, and volumetric modular. Michael has also been involved in numerous research projects including product development and performance monitoring and is the lead author of several guideline documents for government agencies and building enclosure product manufacturers. Additionally, Michael is a part-time instructor at BCIT where he teaches building science and construction technology classes.

The BCIT Tall Timber Student Housing tower is a mass timber building with steel at its core. It is supported by two-way spanning cross-laminated timber (CLT) flat panels supported on steel hollow structural sections (HSS) columns, resulting in a steel and timber hybrid system.

These “point-supported” CLT panels take advantage of the latest technology in wood innovation, comprised of the largest panel widths currently available in North America, and uses no beams, allowing for unobstructed service distribution.

Along with better understanding of fire resistance in mass timber, codified provisions for Encapsulated Mass Timber Construction in the National Building Code of Canada further allow for this tall timber tower to rise to new heights.

The lateral resisting system comprises of steel braced frames at the towers’ vertical egress cores, configured as self-stabilizing towers to avoid additional temporary bracing during construction. These cores will be fabricated off-site and delivered in sub-assemblies, while the steel HSS columns are light enough in weight to be lifted into place without heavy use of cranes, allowing quick and efficient installation. The pre-fabricated floor area provided within these stair and elevator cores during install, also permits four individual tower cores to be erected prior to install of any CLT floor. This then avoids additional crane-sharing and further increases installation efficiencies.

This Living Labs lecture brought together experts from Fast and Epp (structural engineers for the project) and CRS Construction (steel fabricators for the building) who discussed how these two important elements are integrated together from design to installation.

Topics included

• Role of structural steel in a mass timber building
• Logistics of preassembly and installation
• Design assist

Presenters

• Jamie Pobre Sullivan, Associate, Fast and Epp
• Tim Hough, Steel project manager CRS Construction

BCIT’s Tall Timber Student housing will feature a system of specially designed mass timber assemblies throughout the building. Using these prefabricated panels allows for a much quicker installation of the building’s structure. But how do you coordinate using prefabricated mass timber with all the other mechanical and electrical services that need to be installed in a major building?

In this lecture two of key members of the team working on the mechanical systems at Tall Timber Student Housing discussed how these issues are addressed in a practical setting. Introba are the Mechanical Consultants for the Student Housing project and Enersolv will be installing the mechanical systems in the building.

The topics include how to distribute the pipes and ducts through the building, installation of rooftop equipment and how to work with the physical properties of mass timber.

Speakers

• Chris Doel MEng, CEng, MCIBSE, LEED Green Associate, Senior Vice President, Canada, Introba
• Callum Reid, Project Manager, Enersolv Design + Build Ltd

BCIT’s new Buildings are designed to reduce the Institute’s Greenouse Gas (GHG) emissions and to meet the highest level BC Energy Step Code 4. To achieve this requires buildings that minimize energy use and maximize operational efficiency. But what does design for a high-performance building really entail?

This lecture brought together experts from leading firms Patkau Architects, Focal Engineering, and Introba who are working on the Trades and Technology Complex Project to address this topical issue.

Topics included what measurements and metrics can be used to understand building performance and how the building’s shape, form, massing and orientation contributes to its performance. Passive design approaches mixed with active building system approaches were also touched upon. The lecture also looked at how climate change is affecting design assumptions.

It was a great turnout with just over 100 in attendance in person and online!

Speakers

Patkau Architects – Greg Boothroyd, Architect AIBC FRAIC, LEED AP
Focal Engineering – Riley Beise P.Eng., BEMP
Introba – Kevin Shea, P.Eng., CPHD, LEED Green Associate & Sean Casey, MFA, Assoc IALD + IES | Associate

Patkau Architects: We are an architecture and design research studio based in Vancouver, Canada. The practice was founded in 1978 by Patricia and John Patkau. We deliver a wide variety of project types, ranging in scale from art installations to custom homes and major urban buildings.

Focal Engineering – Zero Carbon: Focal Engineering was established in 2015 and has provided energy services to hundreds of projects. As independent energy modellers, we take a whole building perspective to energy analysis, balancing the importance of the building envelope, mechanical and other building systems.

Introba – Mechanical: Is one of the world’s largest building engineering and consulting firms with more than 1,000 employees in offices across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Serbia, and Australia. Introba is the coming together of Integral Group, Ross & Baruzzini, Elementa Engineering, and Elementa Consulting.

Carol Phillips (Architect, Partner Moriyama Teshima Architects) and Kevin Shea (Engineer, Passive House Designer, Principal Introba) presented on the principles to achieve net zero carbon emissions for sustainable building operations. These principles identify strategies and pathways that are under consideration in the design of the new Campus Services Centre (CSC) on the Burnaby Campus.

MTA and Introba are part of the team of consultants providing the design services for the CSC at the Southeastern limits of the campus adjacent to Guichon Creek that is part of the Trades and Technology Complex project.  The CSC will consolidate BCIT’s stakeholders responsible for the operation, maintenance, and development of the campuses’ physical buildings, supplies and infrastructure.

The presentation focused on two buildings designed with the team including MTA and Introba that are currently under construction in Ontario that are using several systems that could be applied to the CSC.  The content of the presentation included information on passive systems, low impact active systems, certifications, and analysis tools such as energy modelling and life cycle analysis for embodied and operational carbon use.

Caroline Charbonneau (Stormwater Engineer), Andrew Kolper (Senior Hydrotechnical Engineer), and Alan Jonsson (Ichthyo Fluvial Specialist) from Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL) presented on the challenges and opportunities of daylighting Guichon Creek on the Burnaby Campus.

This event was part of BCIT’s Guichon Creek Day – an annual celebration of Guichon Creek which is one of the most significant tributaries of Still Creek and runs directly through the Burnaby campus.

KWL are part of the team working to daylight a section of the Creek that runs through a culvert under the north part of the Burnaby Campus. This is part of the Trades and Technology Complex project. They are also part of the team working on the remediation works for the sinkhole downstream of the existing weir on campus including a small section of creek daylighting.

The presentation focused on what is required to successfully restore an urban stream like Guichon Creek, including how to create a natural channel in an urban setting while ensuring that it can provide suitable habitat for plants and animals, while also allowing for fish passage along the length of the creek.

The team also looked at examples of similar projects elsewhere in the Lower Mainland.

KWL is a Vancouver based engineering firm who are recognized across Canada as a leader in developing innovative and environmentally beneficial applied science solutions that address challenges in the natural and built environment. Their goal is to develop engineering projects that improve areas and communities, by providing them with water, a safe community and energy infrastructure solutions to better serve them.

Mass timber construction is a rapidly expanding field in BC that can offer environmental and aesthetic benefits over more traditional carbon-intensive materials. Two leading industry experts talked about the principles that guide their work using mass timber and how these ideas are being applied at BCIT in the designs for the new Campus Services Centre, part of the Trades and Technology Complex.

Robert Jackson is a partner with Fast +Epp, an internationally recognized structural engineering firm with a team that prioritizes creativity and simplicity. They are part of the team working on the Campus Services Centre and are also structural engineers for the Tall Timber Student Housing Project.

Ian McDonald is a partner with Carscadden Stokes McDonald, a leading Vancouver based firm dedicated to designing and building structures that strike a fine balance between beauty and function. They are currently part of the team working on the design for the Campus Services Building.

Jordan Edmonds, Principal at Urban Arts Architecture (UAA) led a show and tell of their work with engineered mass timber structures, and their ongoing research exploring the potential for whole wood construction in net-zero carbon building. They explored:

• How do we reduce processing waste and increase performance of wood fibre technologies to minimize the global warming potential of our buildings and use our forest resources more efficiently?
• How do we enhance the future value of our buildings, reducing the need to return to the forest for redevelopment?

Urban Arts Architecture is an award-winning Vancouver based architectural firm. They are currently working on the designs for two of the buildings (the Robert Bosa Carpentry Pavilion and the Marine and Mass Timber Workshop) that make up the Trades and Technology Complex, and which will incorporate engineered mass timber and wood fibre technologies in their construction.

This lecture and tour provided an opportunity for students and employees to learn more about the features that make the new Health Sciences Centre a sustainable building, from ground source heating to EV charging. Also covered was how the Energy Team remotely monitors and adjusts the buildings systems to optimize heating and lighting. Practical tips on how we can contribute to saving energy everyday were provided.

At the end of the lecture a tour of the building was provided to look at how these systems work in practice.