Forestry Innovation Investment has announced the latest round of Mass Timber Demonstration Program funding to River District Parcel 19.1 – the model for high-density, mixed-use tall wood developments in Vancouver’s Killarney neighbourhood.

Mass Timber Demonstration Program (MTDP) helps tackle climate change and contributes to a lower-impact built environment through funding projects across British Columbia pursuing zero carbon design standards.

Serving as the architect of the project, DIALOG has designed a residential mass timber 18-storey tower and a seven-storey mid-rise rental building, including approximately 240 units of rental and strata housing combined. The River District features a low-embodied carbon panelized façade system – which provides a 60 per cent reduction in non-biogenic carbon from the building structure and envelope.

The project serves as a prototype for future tall-wood residential mixed-use developments, and is in line with the City of Vancouver’s Family Housing Mix Policy and guidelines for high-density developments for families with children. With balconies usually being omitted from mass timber projects, the project will address this by using a prefabricated wall system to allow for an exterior space in every unit.

The high-density, walkable, and transit-oriented design includes bike lockers, storage rooms, and a shared courtyard between the two structures for a wide range of residents and family dynamics. The pedestrian access to shopping, green spaces, and amenities supports a healthy, functional development – setting a new precedent for the capabilities of mass timber construction.

The project is in conjunction with DIALOG, Wesgroup Properties, RDH, Fast + Epp, and Kalesnikoff and is set for completion in 2027.

About MTDP (Mass Timber Demonstration Program)

Established in the Spring of 2021, the Province of British Columbia, through Forestry Innovation Investment, has invested $5.4 million to accelerate the use of mass timber in B.C. These investments will help B.C. become a province that is more resilient and innovative, with an economic recovery focused on job growth and employment recovery in the design, engineering, construction, and product manufacturing sectors. The MTDP provides funding for incremental costs in the design and construction of buildings that demonstrate emerging or new mass timber or mass timber hybrid building systems and construction processes. The program is now supporting a total of 20 innovative mass timber, mass timber-concrete, and mass timber-steel hybrid projects throughout the province.