Plenary session – Wednesday, June 14 | 8:30 am
Keynote speaker: John Metras
John Metras
John Metras is Managing Director, Infrastructure Development at the University of British Columbia.
John and his team are responsible for planning and development of institutional facilities at UBC, collaborating with campus stakeholders to create great spaces for learning, research and campus life. John has over 20 years of experience in facilities development and operations including his previous position as Director of UBC Plant Operations. He has played an integral role in helping UBC evolve into a global leader in sustainability, working on a wide range of initiatives including the Campus as a Living Lab program, the 20-Year Sustainability Strategy, LEED Platinum and Gold certified building projects and the current development of the Brock Commons Tall Wood student residence.
John has a Bachelor of Engineering Science from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the University of British Columbia.
UBC Brock Commons Tall Wood Student Residence
Brock Commons Tall Wood Student Residence – world’s tallest wood building
Architect: Acton Ostry Architects
Tall Wood Advisor: Architekten Hermann Kaufmann
Structural Engineer: Fast & Epp
The University’s most recent hub development features the Brock Commons building, an innovative mass timber hybrid high-rise that, at 53 m high (18 storeys), will stand as the tallest mass-timber building in the world when completed in May 2017. Brock Commons will provide 404 beds for students, in studios and quad units, with public amenity spaces on the ground floor and a lounge on the top floor. project context Brock Commons’ hybrid structural design ensures the building’s performance and safety. The foundation, ground floor, and stair/elevator cores are reinforced concrete, while the superstructure is composed of cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor panels supported on parallel strand lumber (PSL) and glue-laminated timber (GLT) columns with steel connections. The building envelope is comprised of prefabricated, steelstud frame panels with wood-fibre laminate cladding, and a traditional SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) roof assembly on metal decking.
Brock Commons is pioneering recent advances in engineered timber products and building techniques, demonstrating that wood is a viable option for high-rise applications while creating unique research and learning opportunities related to the design, construction, operation, and inhabitation of a tall wood building in North America.
Emerging Trends/Tall Wood
- Brock Commons Case Study – Overview
- Brock Commons Case Study – Design Modelling
- Brock Commons Case Study – Code Compliance
- Brock Commons Educational Video (YouTube)
- Brock Commons Time Lapse Construction Video (YouTube)
- Summary Report – Survey of International Tall Wood Buildings
- Survey of Tall Buildings, Lessons Learned – UBC Earth Sciences Building
- Survey of Tall Buildings, Lessons Learned – Wood Innovation Design Centre
- UBC Mass Timber Buildings