CASESTUDY

BROCK COMMONS TALLHOUSE

-INNOVATION IN HYBRID MASS TIMBER CONSTRUCTION

RESEARCH STUDY PROGRAM
 CONTENT

1 2 3
BROCK COMMONS TALLHOUSE CLIMATE AND CONTEXTUAL DATA CONCEPT AND DESIGN PROCESS
: INTRODUCTION

4 5
STRUCTURE APPROACH OF THE TIMELAPSE OF THE
MATERIAL HYBRID CONSTRUCTION.
ABOUT..
S I T U AT E D I N VA N C O U V E R , C A N A D A T H I S
BUILDING SERVES AS A RESIDENCIAL
S PA C E F O R T H E S T U D E N T S O F
UNIVERSITY OF COLUMBIA.

• H E I G H T I S 5 4 M I . E 1 8 S TO R E Y S .

• SITE AREA IS 2,315 M².

• GROSS AREA IS 15,120 M².

• F O OT P R I N T I S A B O U T 1 5 × 5 6 M ,
T OTA L L I N G 8 4 0 M ² .

• T Y P I C A L F L O O R - TO - F L O O R H E I G H T I S
2.81 M FOR THE MASS TIMBER
STRUCTURE ON THE UPPER FLOORS,
AND 5 M ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
 • THE MAJORITY OF THESE BUILDINGS
UTILIZE HYBRID STRUCTURAL
S Y S T E M S T H AT C O M B I N E C O N C R E T E ,
S T E E L , A N D A VA R I E T Y O F
ENGINEERED WOOD PRODUCTS—
I N C L U D I N G C R O S S - L A M I N AT E D
T I M B E R PA N E L S , L A M I N AT E D V E N E E R
L U M B E R ( LV L ) , L A M I N AT E D S T R A N D
LUMBER (LSL), AND GLUE-
L A M I N AT E D T I M B E R .
• W O O D U S E F R O M T H E 1 8 T H TO
T H E E A R LY 2 0 T H C E N T U R I E S
F R E Q U E N T LY I N C L U D E D S E V E N -
S TO R E Y W O O D B U I L D I N G S ; TA L L E R
WOOD STRUCTURES SUCH AS
C H U R C H TO W E R S A N D PA G O D A S
W E R E B U I LT W O R L D W I D E E A R L I E R
STILL.
• TO D AY, P U S H I N G T H E E N V E L O P E O F
WOOD USE COMES WITH CHALLENGES.
• A U T H O R I T I E S H AV I N G J U R I S D I C T I O N
A N D O V E R S I G H T O F T H E A P P R O VA L
P R O C E S S F O R A N E W G E N E R AT I O N O F
TA L L W O O D B U I L D I N G D E S I G N S
REQUIRE COMPREHENSIVE
S C I E N T I F I C D ATA TO E VA L U AT E T H E I R
SAFETY SINCE THERE ARE NO
PRESCRIPTIVE PROVISIONS IN THE
C A N A D I A N B U I L D I N G C O D E S TO
PERMIT THEM.
 CLIMATE OF VANCOUVER, CANADA

• VA N C O U V E R L I E S O N T H E W E S T E R N
S E A B O A R D O F C A N A D A , W I T H T H E VA S T
E X PA N S E O F T H E PA C I F I C O C E A N TO T H E W E S T
A N D T H E R O C K I E S TO T H E E A S T. S I N C E T H E
P R E VA I L I N G W I N D D I R E C T I O N I S F R O M T H E
W E S T, T H E I N F L U E N C E O F T H E PA C I F I C G I V E S
VA N C O U V E R A M A R I T I M E C L I M AT E , W H I C H
M O D E R AT E S I T S T E M P E R AT U R E S A N D
I N C R E A S E S R A I N FA L L .
• VA N C O U V E R H A S T H E N AT U R A L E XC E S S TO
O C E A N , F O R E S T A N D M O U N TA I N S .
• I T I S O N E O F T H E WA R M E S T C I T I E S O F
CANADA.

SOIL TYPE AND VEGETATION:

• T H E S O I L I S L O A M Y O V E R A L L W I T H T R O P I C A L , D E C I D U O U S F O R E S T S W I T H C O A S TA L R E G I O N

• VA N C O U V E R H A S AT L E A S T 3 0 D I F F E R E N T K I N D S O F S T R E E T T R E E S , O F A L L S H A P E S A N D S I Z E S ,
R A N G I N G F R O M G I A N T S E Q U O I A D E N D R O N , E L M , M A P L E , C H E S T N U T, O A K A N D L I R I O D E N D R O N
TO R O B I N I A , A S H , H AW T H O R N , B I R C H , L I N D E N , B E E C H A N D H O R N B E A M .

• ALMOST 500 SPECIES OF BIRDS (INCLUDING PIGEONS, GEESE, AND SEAGULLS) MORE THAN 140
SPECIES OF MAMMALS (INCLUDING SQUIRRELS, RACCOONS, AND RABBITS) DOZENS OF SPECIES
O F R E P T I L E S A N D A M P H I B I A N S . M O R E T H A N 4 0 0 S P E C I E S O F F I S H ( I N C L U D I N G B OT H
F R E S H WAT E R A N D S A LT WAT E R ) .
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA,
VA N C O U V E R .

WA LT E R G A G E
RESIDENCE

• THE UNIVERSITY IS 15 MINUTES

WA L K F R O M T H E R E S I D E N C E . -CONTEXTUAL DATA
CONCEPT:

• T H E I D E A O F C R E AT I N G A F U L L - S C A L E M O C K - U P TO E VA L U AT E
D E S I G N D E TA I L S A N D C O N S T R U C T I O N P R O C E S S E S WA S A L S O
C O N S I D E R E D D U R I N G T H I S S TA G E O F T H E D E S I G N D E V E L O P M E N T
PROCESS.

• O N C E T H E D E S I G N A P P R O A C H WA S S E T, T H E N E X T C H A L L E N G E
B E G A N – T H E A P P R O VA L S P R O C E S S

– FOUNDATION, CORES AND SUPER-STRUCTURE AND THE TIMBER FRAME

 DESIGN PROCESS:
 3D VIRTUAL MODELLING • AT T H E D I R E C T I O N O F T H E D E S I G N T E A M ,
BYTHE VIRTUAL DESIGN T H E V D C M O D E L L E R H E L P E D TO P L A C E
A N D S I Z E P E N E T R AT I O N S I N E A C H O F T H E
AND CONSTRUCTION P R E FA B R I C AT E D C LT PA N E L S TO
(VDC) MODELLER A C C O M M O D AT E T H E R E Q U I R E D P I P E S ,
SHAFTS AND CABLING, AND ENSURED THE
A P P R O P R I AT E C L E A R A N C E S A N D S PAT I A L
REQUIREMENTS.
• WHEN INCONGRUITIES WERE IDENTIFIED,
O R C O N S T R U C TA B I L I T Y C O M P R O M I S E D ,
THE MODELLER WOULD GO BACK TO THE
PROJECT TEAM FOR RESOLUTION. IN THIS
WAY, M A N Y C O N S T R U C TA B I L I T Y I S S U E S
T H AT T Y P I C A L LY A R I S E W E R E “ V I R T U A L LY ”
E L I M I N AT E D.

DURATION:

• I N T E N T I O N : TO E N S U R E O C C U PA N T H E A LT H A N D S A F E T Y
P R OT E C T I O N I S E Q U A L T O O R B E T T E R T H A N T H AT P R O V I D E D
BY T H E C O D E F O R N O N - C O M B U S T I B L E C O N S T R U C T I O N O F
T H I S S I Z E T H AT E X E M P T S T H E B R O C K
 STRUCTURAL APPROACH:
STEEL CONNECTION— COLUMN TO COLUMN Drag strap and angle iron connection to the reinforced concrete core
AND COLUMN TO CLT PANEL

Column-to-CLT slab detail before concrete topping

PARTIAL ENCAPSULATION OF CLT

PANEL, FOR FIRE SAFETY DURING
CONSTRUCTION

Plywood spline fastened to the CLT floor panels

COMPLETE ENCAPSULATION OF THE WOOD

STRUCTURE AFTER CONSTRUCTION PROVIDES A 2-
HOUR FIRE RESISTANCE RATING

Typical plywood spline detail

PANELS AND COLUMNS
ENVELOPE
RO O F S T RU C T U R E

• THE ROOF STRUCTURE OF BROCK COMMONS IS

C O M P O S E D O F A T R A D I T I O N A L B U I LT- U P R O O F I N G
A S S E M B LY, S T E E L D E C K I N G , A N D S T E E L B E A M S
S U P P O R T E D BY G LT C O L U M N S .
• T H E P R O J E C T T E A M I N I T I A L LY L O O K E D I N TO U S I N G
PA N E L L I Z E D A N D P R E FA B R I C AT E D W O O D O R S T E E L
R O O F I N G S O L U T I O N S , W H I C H W O U L D H AV E
I N C L U D E D T H E D E C K I N G A N D B U I LT- U P R O O F I N G ,
TO A C C E L E R AT E I N S TA L L AT I O N .
• HOWEVER, THESE SOLUTIONS WERE REJECTED
B E C A U S E O F T H E P O S S I B I L I T Y O F WAT E R D A M A G E
TO T H E M A S S T I M B E R S U P E R S T R U C T U R E D U E TO
LEAKS.