NRCan helps fund Fast + Epp’s mass-timber HQ
March 3, 2021
By CCE
The Canadian Wood Council and the B.C. forest industry have recognized the project for innovation and ingenuity in wood design and construction.
Pictured left to right are: . Lynn Embury-Williams, executive director of Wood Works! B.C.; Joyce Murray, federal minister of digital government; and Paul Fast, founding partner for Fast + Epp. Photos courtesy Fast + Epp.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) announced funding support yesterday for construction of consulting engineering firm Fast + Epp’s new headquarters (HQ), through the Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) Program.
As previously mentioned, Fast + Epp’s four-storey mass-timber hybrid home office is currently being built in Vancouver. Federal minister of digital government Joyce Murray visited the site yesterday to announce $648,250 in support, on behalf of federal minister of natural resources Seamus O’Regan Jr.
The building is still under construction in downtown Vancouver.
The GCWood Program, first announced with the federal government’s 2017 budget, encourages the use of wood in non-traditional construction projects, including tall and low-rise non-residential buildings and bridges. It has made $39.8 million available over a four-year period, starting in 2018-2019, with non-repayable contributions to projects’ eligible incremental costs for demonstrating innovative wood products and systems.
“By supporting greater use of sustainable, carbon-storing wood in construction, we can protect the planet, create jobs and support the competitiveness of the forest sector in Western Canada,” Murray said.
“The building will serve as a living lab, with ongoing thermal, moisture and vibration monitoring,” said Fast + Epp partner Paul Fast. “It will also house a concept lab, where physical testing of mass timber components will take place.”
“From long spans and open spaces to demanding fire resistance ratings, wood and mass timber designs meet what the market demands,” said Canadian Wood Council (CWC) president Kevin McKinley.
“This project how mass timber components work together for optimal designs that can be easily replicated,” said Wood Works! B.C. executive director Lynn Embury-Williams.
For more information about the project, click here (PDF) and view the time-lapse video below.
