Sentinel Drive Residence

Perched atop Sentinel Hill, this three-storey residence was to be modern and point-supported on steel posts to maximize the panoramic views of Vancouver’s downtown core.

To ensure quick construction and to accommodate a lack of drop beams, Fast + Epp pioneered a concealed cross-laminated timber solution – still uncommon in Canadian home design, yet increasingly viable as a durable, sustainable material for single-family residences.

Cross-laminated timber offers high strength, along with the structural simplicity needed to build cost-effective buildings. It also has a lighter environmental footprint than that of concrete or steel. Numerous other benefits include its improved thermal performance, design versatility, reduced waste and speedy installation.

Given Canada’s abundance of rapidly-renewable forests, it can be expected that more homes will utilize cross-laminated timber in future.