Canada’s First Office Building Constructed From Cross-Laminated Timber Welcomes New Tenants

On Friday (6-10-22), Natural Resources Canada announced the official occupancy of oN5, located in downtown Vancouver. oN5 is the first office building in Canada constructed using high-performance cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. The building is named for its location near the intersection of Ontario Street & East 5th Ave.

The top three stories of this four-story office building are constructed completely out of CLT. The building also features an advanced adhesive system that joins the CLT panels together without the need for beams, making the material comparable to concrete in terms of interior clear heights, flexible layout, and efficient construction. oN5 is the home offices of local design and construction firms.

The installation of the CLT building structure was completed in 15 days, thanks to the use of prefabricated panels over conventional methods and therefore limited the impacts of construction on local residents and businesses while delivering the same benefits. The building includes instruments that monitor its performance, creating a living case study on the possibilities for urban infill projects built with innovative mass timber.

Over $1.2 million in funding for the oN5 project was provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Green Construction Through Wood (GCWood) Program, which encourages low-carbon construction through innovative uses of wood in non-traditional construction projects, such as low-rise non-residential buildings, tall wood buildings and bridges.