Brock Commons Tallwood House is a mass timber hybrid student residence at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The building consists of a 17-storey mass timber hybrid superstructure atop a one-storey concrete podium with two full-height concrete cores that house elevators, stairs and services conduits. The roof is made of prefabricated sections of steel beams and metal decking. It houses more than 400 students in 272 studios and 33 four-bedroom units as well as study and social gathering spaces.
As one of the first buildings of its kind in the world to be constructed at 18 storeys, a full-scale, two-storey proof of concept mock-up was built off-site early in the planning process. Construction of Brock Commons finished on schedule and on budget. The structure was completed by a crew of nine wood installers 70 days after the prefabricated components were first delivered to the site—two months faster than planned.
The building demonstrated mass timber as a practical building material in a high-rise application.
