(Port Moody, BC, CANADA) On July 10, Gibsons Council approved Massive Canada’s mass timber project at 718 North Road. The next step is to secure a straightforward Building Permit. Ground-breaking is expected in late 2024.
The 6-storey, 124-unit project includes a 3,500 square foot daycare, 76 market rental units, 24 affordable rental units and 24 strata apartments. Five of the affordable rental units are cleverly designed wheelchair-accessible apartments that feature a lock-off suite with separate entrance for a live-in caregiver.
Steering the project through the approval process was quick, despite challenges presented by innovative aspects of the design. In a presentation to Council, Massive Canada’s CEO, Gaetan Royer, explained the need for nine variances: “innovative projects rarely fit neatly within the confines of traditional zoning bylaws. We really appreciate Gibsons’ diligent approach and staff’s support of our project goals: to reduce the building’s carbon footprint and deliver much needed rental housing for the community.”
Recognizing Gibsons staff for their cooperation, Royer added: “working closely with the Town’s planners, we were able to improve the project while adhering to our ambitious timeline.” The Development Permit application was approved less than 4 months after submission.
Innovation on site.
As featured in Construction Canada in September 2023, Massive Canada is building the first underground mass timber parkade in North America as part of this building project. constructioncanada.net/mass-timber-parking-garage=news
Massive Canada’s engineers designed a system rather than a site-specific parkade. This will revolutionize the construction industry by replacing traditional concrete and steel with sustainable and renewable wood. The structure features vertical glue-laminated timber (GLT) supports. These solid wood posts hold a podium slab made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. Layers of CLT panels, perpendicular to each other, form a rigid structural podium platform with the same strength as concrete. In addition to eliminating carbon-intensive steel and concrete, this allows much faster construction of an elegant, biophilic parking structure.
Innovation off-site.
To assemble the 6-storey apartment building above the parking structure, Massive Canada combines the remarkable strength of mass timber with the speed and efficiency of pre-engineered, pre-fabricated modules built off-site. Load-bearing CondoCoreTM units and pre-engineered walls will be manufactured in Massive’s Williams Lake facility, currently under renovation.
CondoCore modules will be fitted with all plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation components already installed. The walls will also be delivered from Williams Lake pre-finished and ready to be craned into place. Inspired from Europe and Asia but designed to Canadian standards, this construction method combines off-site manufacturing of high-quality components and on-site assembly to cut construction time in half.
ABOUT MASSIVE CANADA
Massive Canada Building Systems Inc. is a Canadian mass timber and modular building manufacturer established in Port Moody in 2019. It is a values-driven organization that uses the principles of circular economy in operations and design. Massive is committed to sustainability, diversity, inclusion and collaboration with community leaders, First Nations, and local governments. www.massivecanada.ai
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Massive Canada
Helesia Luke | Cell: 778-858-0553 | Email: helesialuke@proton.me | Web: massivecanada.ai
Gaetan Royer | Cell: 604-816-5399 | Email: gaetan@massivecanada.ai
