New Vancouver Office Building Provides Examples of Rapid Timber Construction

Named after its location near the intersection of Ontario Street & East 5th Ave in downtown Vancouver, BC, oN5 is a new office building, constructed entirely of insulated, prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT). The new building includes instruments that monitor its performance, making it a living case study on the possibilities for urban infill projects with innovative mass timber.

oN5 incorporates several sustainable building technologies, enabling it to be comfortable, affordable, and ecological at the same time. The building meets Passive House standards for energy efficiency while also employing state-of-the-art seismic devices for resisting earthquakes.

oN5 features an advance 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. In fact, the installation of the CLT building structure was completed in just 15-days, thanks to the use of prefabricated panels over conventional methods. This also limited the impact of construction on local residents and businesses while still delivering the same benefits.

Over $1.2 million (CAD) 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 building, and bridges.