Diane Strandberg | June 15th
Mass timber construction is the newest form of housing coming to Coquitlam. Homes are selling from as low as $550,000 for a one-bedroom townhome, with a private outdoor entry.
Coquitlam is an early adopter of mass timber construction, and developers are taking note.
More than 600 units of condos and rental apartments are planned or being built using mass timber, including a 12-storey tower in northwest Coquitlam.
All are located within a few blocks of the Burquitlam SkyTrain station.
Considered a sustainable material because it sequesters carbon instead of creating pollution — as is the case with concrete — and even the B.C. government has a plan to promote mass timber construction.
Buildings made from engineered mass timber products are put together almost like Lego.
Panels and beams made of glued or fastened layers of wood are trucked to the construction site and craned into place, joined together by carpentry crews.
In Coquitlam, Adera Development has plans to build 500 homes out of mass timber as it stakes its claim on the sustainable building material.
COO Rocky Sethi said the homes use a SmartWood technology, which is rated for noise dampening, and homes are designed to include private and communal outdoor spaces, such as massive rooftop decks, for people who want “healthier living” options.
Additional benefits to mass timber, said Sethi, is that it is less expensive than concrete and faster to build than typical framing.
He adds it causes less disruption because fewer workers are needed to construct a building and creates less waste as panels are pre-fabricated off site.
Today, buyers are snapping up one- and two-bedroom units at Adera’s recently completed Duet City Homes (708 Lea Ave.), a stacked townhouse project with 60 units.
The homes are selling from between $550,000 for a 486 sq-ft. one-bedroom suite, with a private outdoor entry, and $899,900 for a two-bedroom with a 400 sq-ft. deck, according to recent listings.
This Coquitlam neighbourhood is home to the city’s first mass timber community
Posted on
June 16, 2022
Posted in Category
