The City of Hamilton’s building division recently announced that it had issued Ontario’s first six-storey wood-frame building permit for a 209-unit hotel featuring an indoor pool and two restaurants. Pre-construction on the Northland Properties project began in mid-March, with excavation and foundation work starting in late March.
“This is a signification step forward for our community and I’m thrilled that we were the first Ontario municipality to sign off on a permit for this new hotel project,” said Hamilton’s chief building official, Ed VanderWindt.
The move came less than three months after Ontario’s revised building code legislation rolled out Jan. 1. The changes raised the height limit on wood-frame residential and office building construction from four storeys to six. The increased height allowance was accompanied by additional fire safety measures, including combustion-resistant roofs and non-combustible stairwell materials.
Three industry groups that lobbied the government to make these building code changes welcomed Hamilton’s announcement.
Michael Giroux, president of the Canadian Wood Council, said: “The Canadian Wood Council wishes to congratulate the City of Hamilton for recognizing the innovative opportunity that now exists for Ontario as a result of code change.”
Added Marianne Berube, executive director of Ontario Wood WORKS!: “Wood-frame mid-rise buildings are redefining the way cities are built by meeting new densification targets, by making the best use of existing urban infrastructure, and by providing versatile commercial projects, mixed-use developments and more affordable options for housing.”
Richard Lyall, president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), said he hoped Ontario companies will follow the lead of Northland Properties, a B.C. company with six-storey wood-frame experience in its native province.
“Our work is paying off and we look forward to other venture in the near future,” said Lyall. “It’s great to see this mixed-use project get approved. We’re excited as we anticipate the approval of the first building permit for a six-storey wood-frame residential building.”
