The world’s tallest mass timber building has opened at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. 

The Brock Commons Tallwood House is an 18-storey mass timber hybrid residence housing 404 students. Finished in time for the 2017-18 academic year, the 162,700 SF building stands at 54 metres. 

Designed by Acton Ostry Architects, the structure is composed of cross-laminated timber floor slabs, glulam columns, steel connections and concrete cores. By using the hybrid structural system, construction time was about four months shorter than for a typical project of this size.

The building is on a concrete foundation and incorporates two concrete stair cores. The tower is topped by a roof comprising steel beams and decking, and clad in prefabricated wall panels, 70% of which are made from a wood fibre high-pressure laminate.

There are 272 studios and 33 four-bedroom quad units in total. Each unit contains a kitchen and a bathroom.

Brock Commons Tallwood House was designed to meet LEED Gold certification.

“[Brock Commons] reflects UBC’s leadership in sustainable construction and our commitment to providing our students with more on-campus housing,” UBC President Santa Ono said in a university news release.