This event will primarily take place as a webinar, which opens online at 11:30 AM with opening remarks starting at 11:45 AM.
For those interested in a group experience, a viewing session will be held at the Oak Bay Rec Centre (1975 Bee St) from 11:20 AM to 1:30 PM. The webinar will be streamed on a large screen in the Small Lounge, located behind the Deli Bar and Grill in the Sports View Room on the second floor (elevator access is available).
Attendees at the viewing session will have the chance to connect with the VIES Board before and after the presentation. Lunch can be purchased from the Deli Bar and Grill.
To join the viewing session, purchase an 'In-Person Admission' ticket. Space is limited to 20 people, so reserve early!
Abstract:
We all know the future is only possible if net-zero carbon from human activities can be achieved. Rising CO2 levels present an existential challenge to many of the planet Earth’s species, including our own. Building activity contributes to approximately 40% of annual CO2 emissions in the US and UK. As architects, engineers, builders, planners, owners, we must act, now.
In the last decades, due to housing demand, our cities and their carbon footprint has grown exponentially. Virgin forest turned into communities and suburbs. Infrastructure has been developed to service these communities. As population keeps growing, these communities become once again unsustainable. We are witnessing the rise of vertical communities in major city centers. Buildings have grown taller and taller. The vicious cycle continues ever expanding construction contributes to ever increasing CO2 emission.
How can we build tall and maintain net-zero carbon?
DIALOG’s prototype 105-story Hybrid Wood Tower (HWT) is a vertical neighborhood with stacked residential, hotel, hydroponic farming, recreational and commercial spaces. The HWT participates in the community through a net(work)-zero strategy: the building achieves net-zero on-site via a combination of façade PV and an algae biorreactor that sequesters carbon from a natural gas-powered CHP. Excess zero-carbon energy is provided to neighboring buildings.
At the heart of the design is a patented, long span Hybrid Timber Floor System, HTFS, which offers functional flexibility of interior space, critical in mixed use tall buildings, and demonstrates how carbon can be stored in a building of any size and height. Other critical design consideration includes construction time and fire safety. This presentation will explain the development of the HTFS here in Canada, the extensive testing it underwent to ensure public safety and building longevity, and its value proposition.
The prototype study is a partnership venture by DIALOG and EllisDon, with testing and funding support provided by FP Innovation and National Research Canada.
Speaker:
Thomas Wu is a senior design/project engineer and partner in our Vancouver studio. Throughout his 39 years career, he has focused on the complexities of designing and constructing commercial and residential high-rise buildings. Notable high-rise projects such as the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel Vancouver, the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver, the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto, and the Shaw Tower Vancouver are among his portfolio highlights. Thomas also contributed his expertise to over 100 high-rise building projects across BC’s Lower Mainland, and Greater Toronto Area. Thomas brings a proactive approach to design challenges, delivering functional and aesthetic sensibilities within the economic reality of every project. He continues to be a thought leader in the research and development sector. A recent venture of Thomas’s is the patented long span mass timber panel, which potentially impacting mass usage of sustainable wood in buildings of any high and size.