EQUILIBRIUM

This week’s #tbt project highlight is Peavy Hall at the Oregon State University, School of Forestry – Completed in 2020 in Corvallis, OR, USA. EQUILIBRIUM’s Florencio Bautista says, “The amazing use of cutting-edge mass timber design in this unique structure creates bright and warm interior spaces with exposed wood elements. The introduction of post-installed rocking CLT shear walls is the biggest highlight for this project in addition to the wood-concrete composite panels.” The award-winning 80,000 SF T-shaped Peavy Hall combines exposed CLT solid wood floor panels with a thin concrete topping supported on 40ft double glulam-concrete composite beams. The use of post-tensioned CLT rocking shear walls for the lateral system is a first in North America. This innovative solution significantly reduces lateral loads while providing a highly resilient immediate-occupancy solution. Embedded unbonded tension rods within the panels allow the base of the walls to rock in a seismic event, while energy is dissipated through strategically placed dampers. Learn more about this project in the case study on our website! Photos: Josh Partee Architect: MGA | Michael Green Architecture Affiliated Engineers, Inc. PAE CONSULTING LIMITED KPFF Consulting Engineers Andersen Contracting Corp. #clt #timber #glulam #innovation #innovativedesign #innovativeengineering #innovativearchitecture #seismicengineering #timberarchitecture #timberengineering #postsecondary #osu

As a follow up to our post from earlier this week, we thought we’d explore the project featured on AU Magazine’s feature cover! This week’s #tbt post is all about Upper Skeena Recreation Centre – Completed in 2019 in Hazelton, BC, Canada. EQULILBRIUM’s Phillip Wong says, “This was one of the very first projects I laid my hands on at Equilibrium and I was instantly attracted to all the exposed timber in the design. Not only does it make the project visually appealing, but the angled Glulam columns provide a sense of uniqueness throughout the building. It really gives you that feeling of being outdoors no matter what activity you are enjoying.” The facility’s exposed wood roof, supported by glue-laminated timber beams and columns, represents an economical framing solution. Simplified construction methods for the roof and exterior walls, which are made with plywood and dimension lumber, deliver further cost savings. To speed construction, the wood wall and roof panels were prefabricated by local workers and then dropped in place for rapid assembly. The 54,000 SF project consists of an NHL sized ice surface, seating for 500 spectators, and a full-sized gymnasium. To learn more about this project, visit our website! Photos: Ema Peter Architect: hemsworth architecture MCW CONSULTANTS LTD #glulam #glulambeams #prefabricated #prefabarchitecture #timber #timberengineering #recreationcenter

We are ecstatic that Upper Skeena Recreation Centre, an EQUILIBRIUM project completed in collaboration with hemsworth architecture, has been featured on the cover of AU Magazine’s Feature: 20 Years of Mass Timber Construction in Canada. We are also thrilled to see that 11 of the 19 projects included in the issue are EQUILIBRIUM projects! It’s an honour to be so recognized for the work we’ve done in the industry. Go get your copy now! #masstimber #aumagazine

There are so many good reasons to use mass timber. We knew it was a matter of time for the economic argument to join the list.

This week’s #tbt project highlight is the BC Passive House Factory – Completed in 2014 in Pemberton BC, Canada. EQUILIBRIUM’s Eric Karsh says, “The owners of BC Passive House very intentionally chose to use mass timber as the building material to demonstrate the qualities of the product they are selling but also to provide their employees with the very unique environmental qualities that timber construction offers. Recent studies have shown that using wood within in an office environment has a great impact on stress-reduction, concentration, workplace satisfaction and overall productivity in its occupants. They wanted to tap into those benefits.” The award-winning BC Passive House factory sits in the inspiring mountainous backdrop in the Pemberton Industrial Park. This 16,200 SF shop facility was entirely prefabricated and erected by the owner, BC Passive House. As much a demonstration project as a working facility, the building uses a number of different wood products including a glue-laminated timber (Glulam) post-and-beam structure, cross-laminated timber (CLT) walls and prefab roof panels. The entire superstructure was erected in just eight days To learn more about this project, visit our website! Photos: Ema Peter Architect: hemsworth architecture Durfeld Constructors Yoneda & Associates BLC Engineering #prefabricated #passivhaus #passivehouse #biophilicdesign #timber #clt #workshop

This week’s #tbt project highlight is the John W. Olver Design Building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst – Completed in 2017 in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. Equilibrium’s Founding Principal, Eric Karsh says, “The faculty at UMass expressed a strong desire to use wood for this project. Given that the building houses the University’s integrated design program, the use of an exposed mass timber structure was particularly relevant and it continues to offer a teaching opportunity to its users. The entire lateral system consists of CLT shear walls and timber braces, the first system of its kind in North America.” This four-storey, 87,500 SF academic facility at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst has won a myriad of awards including The American Institute of Architects (AIA) COTE Top Ten 2020, World Architecture Festival Building of the Year 2017, and WoodWorks Wood Design Awards – Jury’s Choice for Wood Innovation 2018. The building houses the school of integrated design program and includes offices, design studios, lecture theatres, laboratories, and the required ancillary spaces. At the time of completion, the building was one of the largest mass timber structures in the US, and one of the largest wood-concrete composite buildings in the world. You can learn more on our website. #linkinbio Photos: Albert Vecerka Architect: Leers Weinzapfel Associates Suffolk Construction Atelier Ten BVH Integrated Services Nitsch Engineering Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) CAST CONNEX #woodworks #masstimber #timberconstruction #clt #integrateddesign

Nous sommes ravis de voir notre projet de bureaux Edenn émerger rapidement à Nanterre après plusieurs mois de travail assidu. Avec près de 35,000 m2 de surface, il s’agit d’une autre réalisation notable dans l’histoire de la construction bois en France. Félicitations à toute l’équipe! EQUILIBRIUM : BET structure (EXE) BRENAC & GONZALEZ & ASSOCIES: Architectes Arbonis: Fournisseur bois Terrell Group: BET structure (MO) ICADE: Maitre d'ouvrage CET Ingénierie: BET fluide / ascenseurs RFR Structure et Enveloppe: BET façade #boismassif #constuctionbois #innovation #constructiondurable

This week’s #tbt project highlight is the Temple of Light – Completed in 2017 in Kootenay Bay, BC, Canada. EQUILIBRIUM’s Matt Kantner, PE, SE says, the Temple of Light is “one of my favorite EQ projects simply for its beauty... credit to Patkau Architects for that. What you can’t see from the photos: • Curved glulam members spring from the floor and are moment connected to each other at the top of the building. These carry all the building’s gravity and lateral loads to foundations. • The foundations were reused from a previous building on the site that had unfortunately burned down in 2014. • The wall “petals” are light-framed and were prefabricated in large modules on the ground near Nelson, BC before being shipped to the site for construction. Just your run-of-the mill yoga temple 😉” The all-wood Temple of Light serves as a spiritual sanctuary and meeting place for the Yasodhara Ashram Society in Kootenay Bay, BC. The temple sits on a clifftop overlooking Kootenay Lake. Its sculptural form is in harmony with the surrounding forest. The building has won numerous awards including the 2019 Canadian Wood Council Design Innovation Award and 2019 AIBC Innovation Award. To learn more, visit our website! Photos: James Dow / Dan Seguin Architect: Patkau Architects RDH Building Science Integral Group® Render Light & Planning Inc. Alfred Horie Construction Co. Ltd. Blackcomb Facade Technology #sustainabledesign #sustainability #lotus #temple #yasodharaashram #templeoflight #spiritualdesign #spiritualarchitecture #sanctuary #puredesign #kootenaylake #glulam #timberengineering #timberconstruction #timber #prefabricated #mindfulness #aibcawards

It was a thrill attending the UBC Museum of Anthropology Great Hall reopening ceremonies on Thursday with 2,000 other visitors, on the eve of Arthur Erickson's one hundredth birthday celebrations. EQUILIBRIUM is honored to have been chosen with Nick Milkovich Architects to bring this unique heritage structure to modern seismic standards. One of Erickson's most prominent projects, MOA's original structure was built in the mid 70's before seismic requirements were introduced in the building code. The post and beam frame structure is located on the unceded territory of the Musqueam Nation and inspired by the architecture of the Northwest Coast First Nations people. Seismically, the tall, lanky but top heavy post-tensioned concrete frames of the Great Hall are akin to a house of cards, which happens to be fully wrapped in glass. EQUILIBRIUM immediately assessed that the only option to effectively seismically upgrade the susceptible structure without infringing on its architecture was to base isolate the building. Although base isolation alone would have significantly improved the resilience of the original structure, it only partially achieved current seismic code requirements due to the weak post to beam connections and the fact that the original columns were found to be hollow during the field investigation of the structure. Given the unique heritage importance of this architectural landmark, and the immeasurable value of its contents, UBC made the decision to demolish and completely rebuild the Great Hall structure on the proposed base-isolated foundations to fully achieve current seismic code requirements. MOA is now only the second base-isolated structure in Canada. 

This week’s #tbt project highlight is The Rock – Hillcrest Residence – Completed in 2018 in Whistler Blackcomb, BC, Canada. EQUILIBRIUM’s Hanna Buchanan says, “At Equilibrium, we talk a lot about integrated design: collaboration between the architect and engineer and the use of structural systems to further the overall architectural vision. As EQ’s Office Manager, it’s been my pleasure diving into the archives to get to know the wide range of outstanding projects delivered by our team. Even when compared with bigger, perhaps more influential projects, The Rock remains my favourite example of this design method. The choice of building materials, focus on sustainability, and the interplay between the space and sturdiness within the home’s design all work to amplify the harmony between the residence and its surroundings. A beautiful example of how Equilibrium can deliver gorgeously integrated design at any scale.” Perched on a distinctive outcrop above Alta Lake in Whistler, The Rock is an eyrie of a mountain retreat that makes the most of the surrounding views. Inspired by a Frank Lloyd Wright quote – “No house should ever be on a hill. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it” – the architect designed a contemporary family home rising from a series of landscaped levels cut into and built out of the mountainside. Sustainability was a driving force in the design of this home. Primarily the focus was to reduce the energy demand as much as possible. The strategy involved using Passivhaus principles to decrease the total energy requirements. Large areas of the concrete superstructure are left exposed providing considerable thermal mass and continuous high-performance insulation further minimizes heating and cooling losses. Photos: Rory Gardiner Photography Architect: Gort Scott Durfeld Constructors MCW Group of Companies ARAM Group for Contracting #internationalarchitectureaward #wallpaperdesignawards #integrateddesign #sustainabledesign #sustainability #passivhaus #luxuryhomes #whistlerrealestate #whistlerhomes #customhomedesign #customhomes