On this special episode of the °µÍø½ûÇøion Record podcast, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Hemsworth Architecture founder John Hemsworth and Katerra director of mass timber engineering Robert Malczyk about mass timber and other wood-based technologies used on two significant British Columbia projects.
Hemsworth and Malczyk explained how On5, a four-storey building located in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood uses insulative cross-laminated timber (CLT) assemblies along with a damage-resistant seismic design built to a Passive House standard.
Malczyk and Hemsworth also spoke about the Upper Skeena Recreation Centre, a heavy timber and wood-frame construction that not only replaced a 44-year-old ice arena condemned die to safety concerns but became a new hub for the community. The project used both local skilled tradespersons and locally available material and wood construction meant construction could continue through the cold winter months.