The Hive Wins 2026 CCE Award of Excellence

October 20, 2026

We are delighted to share that The Hive has received the 2026 CCE Award of Excellence in the Buildings Category.

This 10-storey office building features an innovative mass timber structural system that combines perimeter timber braced frames and internal cross-laminated timber (CLT) shearwalls to eliminate the need for conventional concrete cores. Fast + Epp developed a bottom-flush interior girder system using custom steel members to create a ‘flat plate’ ceiling, showcasing the exposed timber by allowing seamless integration with mechanical and electrical systems.

This approach was tested extensively, including full-scale testing of gravity-beam-to-column connections, and findings were made open-sourced, providing valuable engineering information to the community for future tall wood projects.

The Hive was specially engineered for seismic resilience with the introduction of a Tectonus damper at each braced member and within the CLT shearwalls, helping the building re-centre in the event of an earthquake.

“A beautiful building with a complex design in Canada’s most significant seismic zone.” – CCE Jury

Image of The Hive

Visit the project page to learn more.

Fast + Epp is honoured to have worked with the team below on this innovative project that continues to advance mass timber design and construction within the industry.