oN5 in Vancouver will be the first office building in Canada constructed using high-performance cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. The project will showcase the potential for mass timber in commercial construction, which is designed to achieve high levels of occupant comfort and energy efficiency.
The mass timber project is receiving federal government funding of $900,000 to support design and construction.
Designed by Hemsworth Architecture, oN5 is a four-storey mass timber office building which will become the new home of Equilibrium Consulting. Named for its location near the intersection of Ontario Street and East Fifth Avenue in the Mt. Pleasant neighbourhood, oN5 will be a smart growth infill building that will demonstrate what is possible in mass timber construction.
“We have been involved in the design and construction of a number of highly sustainable, mass timber buildings throughout British Columbia. It is very encouraging to see a project in Vancouver utilizing the advantages of CLT construction to simultaneously address both the challenges of an in-fill, urban site and the pressures of sustainable design,” said John Hemsworth, principal and architect, Hemsworth Architecture.
oN5 will incorporate several sustainable building technologies — most notably, the use of mass timber and strategies based on Passive House principles, making oN5 energy-efficient, comfortable, affordable and ecological at the same time.
“The use of virtual construction as a process for the oN5 project has enabled the efficient and innovative use of CLT, which replaced a more traditional concrete and steel structure. The use of wood greatly reduces the carbon impact of the materials used within the project and also provides for a much faster construction process with less impact on the surrounding neighbourhood,” said Joe Geluch, president, Naikoon Contracting Ltd.
Funding for the project is provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Green Construction Through Wood Program, which encourages the use of wood in non-traditional construction projects, such as low-rise non-residential buildings, tall wood buildings and bridges. The program aims to position Canada as a world leader in innovative wood construction technologies and the low-carbon economy.
