Hybrid mass-timber building planned for Vancouver’s Bentall Centre

Renderings courtesy Hudson Pacific Properties.

Consulting engineering firm H.H. Angus & Associates is set to provide mechanical and electrical engineering, information technology (IT), communications and energy modelling services for Burrard Exchange, a new hybrid mass-timber building in downtown Vancouver.

Hudson Pacific Properties and Blackstone Real Estate unveiled plans on Sept. 23 for the 16-storey development, which would add 450,000 sf of office and retail space within the city’s Bentall Centre. Once approved, Burrard Exchange is set to become one of North America’s tallest exposed mass-timber office buildings and its operations are projected to be 100% carbon-neutral.

H.H. Angus’ scope of work for the project includes:

• a water-cooled variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat recovery system, using a closed-circuit fluid cooler and electric boilers to maintain loop temperature.
• a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) for ventilation and exhaust heat recovery.
• ventilation rates exceeding the ASHRAE minimum, to promote better indoor air quality (IAQ).
• reconstruction of major electrical infrastructure from the demolition of a parkade to create new electrical, generator and IT rooms beneath an existing tower.
• new incoming electrical services, generator and communications infrastructure.
• targeting Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) LEED Platinum, FitWel and WiredScore certification.
• Vancouver Building By-Law compliance with thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) of 20 and a greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) target of 3.

The mass-timber project will require close co-ordination between H.H. Angus and the structural designers because, unlike drywall, wood openings cannot be adjusted once cut.

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is on-board as design architect, with Adamson Associates Architects serving as architect of record. Construction is expected to begin in 2023.

“Our team is excited to be part of this project,” says Kevin O’Neill, commercial division director at H.H. Angus, “It will set a new benchmark for green construction in Vancouver by achieving 100% carbon neutrality and through innovative use of mass timber.”