Sir Matthew Begbie Elementary School

Part of the BC Ministry of Education’s Seismic Mitigation Program, the new two-storey, 34,000 square foot elementary school embraces a modern design with open learning spaces. The use of cross-laminated timber as the primary construction material for this project will be a flagship for the Vancouver School Board as one of the district’s first CLT schools. The timber will be exposed on both walls and ceilings within large areas of the building, providing a warm and inviting environment for students.

The new school building is situated on the middle tier of the school site, with the existing school building on the upper tier. Given the tiered site in combination with the continued use of the existing school during construction, the construction approach for the new school requires work to be done within a constricted site while disruption of existing school operations is minimized.

To accommodate these constraints, Fast + Epp developed a mass timber structural system to utilize prefabrication/off-site construction techniques as well as minimize the disruption and overall duration imposed by construction activities.

Fast + Epp has also partnered up with the University of Northern British Columbia and the University of Alberta to conduct a series of testing programs including composite and vibrations testing on 30’ long double-T CLT-glulam floors and roofs for improved build and material efficiency, balloon frame CLT shear wall testing, and strength and stiffness of CLT lintels above openings.

With the use of mass timber, approximately 1,025 tonnes of carbon are embodied in the wood.