Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/331457
Wood Innovation and Design Centre by Jerry Eberts T he tallest contemporary wood building in North America, the Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC) in Prince George, B.C., will be both a showcase and a vital centre for learning. The six-storey structure (not includ- ing a mechanical penthouse on the roof and a mezzanine on level one) is being built to LEED Gold status. "WIDC will build on B.C.'s expertise and global repu- tation as a leader in wood construction, engineered wood products and design. The province is investing $25.1 million in the WIDC, with construction under way. The provincial government is com- mitted to having the WIDC open in the fall of 2014," says Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour for the Government of British Columbia. The design-build team is working collaboratively with 13 different B.C. companies in a range of functions, including wood sourcing and provid- ing value-added wood products, says Bond. The project start-up involved signif- icant co-ordination and collaboration between the design, fabrication and installation teams. The priority was to have the many wood elements designed and into fabrication as efficiently as pos- sible. For this to happen, the building design and fabrication modelling were performed in tandem, with each activity dependent on the other. "This also required the design and construction teams to work in tandem. We saw an incredible partnership form between the parties. This ultimately got us through a very challenging, but successful start-up process," says Chad Kaldal, project manager with PCL Constructors Westcoast. "Michael Green Architecture is con- sidered a leader in tall wood buildings in the world. PCL has great experience in working with wood elements in many of its projects, especially in the B.C. region. However, the WIDC project has been unique for PCL, in that the entire struc- ture is almost entirely made of wood. "It was a design goal to showcase the wood structure as much as possi- ble. In many cases leaving the columns and beams exposed is easy to do; how- ever, ceiling spaces presented a unique challenge as building structures are normally covered by an architectural ceiling to hide the mechanical and elec- trical services," says Kaldal. The design team was able to over- come this particular challenge by staggering the cross laminated tim- ber floor slabs so alternating floor and ceiling chases were created in the struc- ture. This allows the services to run in the ceiling chases, covered by simple wood slats, and leave the overall wood structure exposed. The mechanical system for WIDC uti- lizes the City of Prince George's district energy system, which generates heat by using hot water coming from a local bioenergy system. The building uses a variety of wood products from all parts of B.C., includ- ing Douglas fir, cedar, hemlock, pine and spruce. Engineered wood products were used in the design, including Glulam columns and beams, cross-laminated timber ( CLT) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL). The structural shell of all images: michael green architecture inc. / courtesy bc government june 2014 /69 Wood Innovation and Design Centre p.68-71Wood Innovation.indd 69 14-06-06 2:15 PM