First CLT panels go up at new MEC Vancouver store

October 10, 2018

The first Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels went up today at the new Mountain Equipment Co-op’s (MEC) Vancouver flagship store in the Olympic Village.

MEC’s new location will replace its current store at 130 West Broadway, which the Vancouver-based retailer has occupied since 1995. The building will include a 45 000 square foot retail store on two levels, with office space on the third floor, which will include a mix of MEC and sublease spaces as well as a community space.

The building primarily consists of glulam post-and-beam frames supporting CLT floor and roof panels, with steel-braced frames at the stair cores and central atrium to provide the lateral structure. Below-grade, a cast-in-place concrete parkade structure provides 3 levels of parking with more than 50 bike stalls.

Working alongside Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc., the design embodies MEC’s signature green building form and seeks to contribute to sustainable urban development in South-East False Creek. The development targets a LEED Gold certification.

Fast + Epp also acted as consulting structural engineers for MEC’s Head Office in Vancouver, as well as retail stores in North Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton Brewery District and South Edmonton Commons, in addition to MEC’s Vancouver Warehouse seismic upgrade.

The new Olympic Village store is slated to open in June/July of 2019.