Trotter & Morton Building Technologies Vancouver is heavily involved in Mass Timber builds as the Mechanical Contractor of Choice. Recently T&M worked on the UBC Brock Commons Tall Timber House, Canada’s tallest Mass Timber project at completion.

Brock Commons is an “innovative 18 story tall wood hybrid building at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The wood structure offers significant schedule savings and was completed less than 70 days after the prefabricated components arrived on site, approximately four months faster than a typical project of this size” (Think Wood).

Sustainability is a driving force in Mass Timber Construction. In addition to being a LEED Gold project, Brock Commons:

• Used 2,233 m3 of Timber
• Stored 1753 t of CO2
• Avoided 679 t of CO2 equivalent emissions
• Total CO2 benefit of 2,432 t

Throughout the construction, our experienced T&M team worked diligently to follow our comprehensive Quality Assurance and Quality Control program which provides first time quality and cost savings. Working with lean quality is the process of identifying the least wasteful way to provide exemplary value to our customers.

Trotter & Morton worked closely with the Construction Manager, Urban One Builders, and CAD Makers, who managed VDC (Virtual Design and Construction) for the Brock Commons project, and the rest of the design and construction team. VDC was extensively used to assist in design decision making, project planning, constructability analysis, clash detection, and digital pre-fabrication.

The model helps minimize and isolate any issues before they arise, saving time and money. “The VDC model was used to create a detailed bill of materials that included the exact dimensions and sizes for systems and interior components. This allowed for more of the MEP work to be completed off site—including the pre-assembly of the mechanical room equipment; cutting of ducts, pipes, and other systems components; and most of the welding work—thus reducing timelines and congestion on the site. For example, the mechanical room, which would typically take 3 to 4 months of on-site work, was assembled in less than 1 month” (Naturally Wood).

Trotter & Morton launched our own VDC group in 2020, giving us the ability to add value by providing a full spectrum of VDC services on our current and future projects.

Resources:

https://www.naturallywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/brock-commons-construction-overview_case-study_naturallywood.pdf

https://www.naturallywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/brock-commons-storyboards_factsheet_naturallywood.pdf

https://www.thinkwood.com/projects/brock-commons-tallwood-house