Construction of the new Terminus at District 56 commercial building has been completed in Langford, B.C. Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation worked on the five-storey mass timber post-and-beam building in partnership with Design Build Services and Aspect Structural Engineers.

Located on Vancouver Island, the building site of Terminus is one of the highest seismic regions of North America. The five-storey mass timber post-and-beam Terminus building features the first buckling-restrained braces housed within a timber frame. This state-of-the-art design enables its lateral system to be highly ductile while allowing the wood to be exposed. The first-of-its-kind construction is the first of two projects from Structurlam, Design Build Services and Aspect Structural Engineers.

“The Terminus project sets a high precedent for mass timber construction and meets a variety of structural considerations, including fire ratings, seismic benchmarks and structural performance, all while providing the desired aesthetic,” said Hardy Wentzel, CEO of Structurlam. “The completion of the building is a big win for all involved and we’re looking forward to continuing to work with Design Building Services and Aspect Structural Engineers on Tallwood 1 in the coming months.”

Tallwood 1 at District 56, located adjacent to Terminus, is slated to open in 2022 as the first 12-storey mass timber tower built under the revised 2018 BC Building Code, allowing for provisions for mass timber structures up to 12 stories for interested communities.

“This building is a perfect example of structure that is driven by both function and design,” said Ilana Danzig, associate principal at Aspect Structural Engineers. “The buckling-restrained braces combined with the modern mass timber create a building that is high-performing without sacrificing on architecture and appearance; in fact, the BRBs and the wood are visually complementary, particularly with the clean and modern detailing used for the mass timber connections.”