BCIT Tall Timber Student Housing wins ACEC BC Award of Merit

May 31, 2025

We’re proud to share that the BCIT Tall Timber Student Housing project was honored with an Award of Merit at the ACEC BC Awards. This recognition highlights the innovative and sustainable design behind the 12-storey mass timber building located at BCIT’s Burnaby campus.

The project represents BCIT’s forward-thinking commitment to sustainability and efficient construction. Designed by Fast + Epp, the structural system combines cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors with steel HSS columns. This hybrid approach supports both environmental goals and architectural intent set forth by the architects, Perkins&Will. By using wide-format CLT panels and steel columns fully encapsulated within the demising walls, the design eliminates the need for standalone interior columns. This ensures clean, unobstructed units and supports the modular architectural layout and prefabricated envelope system. Reducing the number of steel column lines throughout the building further streamlined the design and construction.

Prefabrication played a key role in meeting the project’s tight schedule. The CLT panels were manufactured off-site and assembled on-site, reducing overall construction time. Fast + Epp also proposed a steel concentrically braced frame for the stair and elevator cores to handle lateral loads. This system allowed the core to be completed before installing the first CLT floor, minimizing overlap between trades and contributing to an efficient, organized construction process.

Congratulations to the client and the entire project team. This award reflects the shared vision, collaboration, and commitment that made this project a standout success.