British Columbia Institute of Technology Opens New Mass Timber Housing Building

The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) announced that it has opened its new mass timber student housing residence at the Burnaby campus. The 12-story tower is the school’s first purpose-built student residence and the city’s tallest timber building.

The project adds 469 student beds, more than doubling the number of on-campus housing spaces. The residence includes a mix of communal-style single and studio units, a ground-floor common area, an outdoor accessible plaza, and study and office spaces.

Designed with sustainability in mind, the fully electric building meets BC’s Energy Step Code 4, the highest level of energy efficiency for this type of structure, and has received a Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Net Zero certification.

The BC government invested CA$129 million in this project as part of its broader efforts to expand affordable student housing throughout BC. As part of BCIT’s campus development plan, an additional $3 million was contributed by donors to the BCIT Foundation through the INSPIRE fundraising campaign.