MENU

Green Architecture 2021

Follow us

2150 Keith Drive | 2022


2150 Keith Drive | 2022
2150 Keith Drive | 2022

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Architects: DIALOG
Design Team: Martin Nielsen, Michele Sigurdson, Juston Tompson, Ryan McClanaghan, Sara Remocker, and Jill Robertson
Client: BentallGreenOak


2150 Keith Drive | 2022
2150 Keith Drive | 2022
2150 Keith Drive | 2022

Project Description

2150 Keith Drive will be a 10-story office building, consisting of nine stories of mass timber over a concrete ground level and underground parking; it will be targeting LEED® Gold certification.

Nature’s Path, a local industry leader in organic food production and farming, will be the lead tenant. This building is intended to be an extension of the company’s sustainability mandate. The architectural design utilizes a unique engineered wood, perimeter-braced structural system that creates a bold, visually striking facility from street level.

Balconies form an elongated honeycomb pattern that is a direct expression of the structural system. The design lead has signed the AIA 2030 Commitment, and this building will deliver greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption levels that are 80% below the median for this type; the EUI target is 87 kWh/m2/year. The most significant contribution to reduced CO2 emissions was the decision to use mass timber as the primary structural system. There is 5,000 m3 of wood in the project, which will sequester a total of 4,403 metric tons of CO2.

Wood will be sourced locally from British Columbia’s sustainably-managed forests and processed at a regional manufacturing facility, resulting in shorter travel distances from extraction to a construction site than traditional fossil fuel-intensive materials, further reducing CO2 emissions.

Other sustainability measures will include high-efficiency heat recovery ventilation, air source heat pump heating and cooling systems, and high-performance windows. The building will run entirely on electricity c and will be photovoltaic-ready. Mass timber was also selected for its functional qualities.

Glulam diagonal braces at the perimeter, paired with interior cross-laminated timber shear walls, provide seismic resistance, eliminating the need for conventional concrete cores. This approach sets a precedent for tall wood buildings in seismic zones while also allowing for glazed walls and exposed timber in vertical circulation areas that would not be possible with conventional design. This will be the tallest timber seismic-force-resisting system in North America, which will greatly improve the building’s earthquake resiliency, thereby extending its lifespan and increasing occupant safety.

Building occupants will benefit from an office environment designed around the principles of biophilia and natural materials, courtesy of exposed mass timbers. The lighting system will conform to Circadian Lighting Design guidelines, while the main stair core is designed to encourage users to take the stairs. Each level will have access to outdoor space and balcony-integrated gardens – a unique feature for a commercial building like this.