The proposed Wood Innovation and Design Centre will set the standard for tall wood construction in B.C., according to Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Minister Pat Bell, but may not hold the title for tallest wood building.
On Sept. 16, the ministry released a request for expressions of interest to build a 10-storey wood building on the site for the former Prince George Hotel. Part of the project includes the creation of a research chair for tall wood construction, Bell said.
"The intent here is to build this under the minister's exemption. As it is built, the intent is to develop the building code," he said. "The research chair will use the construction of this building as an opportunity to develop best practices."
Cross-laminated timber construction - a likely candidate for the building - is a new technology in North America and only slightly more mature in Europe, Bell said. The Wood Innovation and Design Centre will serve as a model for future developments in the province, he said.
A budget has been allocated for the project, he added. However, the province is not releasing that information until the request for expressions of interest closes on Oct. 6.
"We don't want to constrain the architects and engineers making submissions," he said.
The project will be a public-private partnership development model, Bell said. However, what form that partnership takes has not been determined.
"The real key theme is we know we want about a third of the building - about three floors - for the primary education services," he said. "The remaining seven floors are for private use. We've tried not to restrict it.
Tallest in the world?
When Premier Christy Clark announced the centre last week, she said the goal is to make the centre the tallest multi-use wood building in the world. However, the project may have competition from Norway.
"The tallest current existing... is the nine-stories one in England. Ten stories is what we think is realistic," Bell said. "There have been multiple proposals out of Norway. We know that someone may come along and go higher."
Norwegian Barents Secretariat spokesperson Jonas Karlsbakk said the government agency has proposed a 16-story wood building in the town of Kirkenese to house the secretariat's offices.
"Yes, there have been launched some plans to build the world's largest wooden building in Kirkenes, and Norwegian Oslo-based investor Arthur Buckhardt is ready to do build it," Karlsbakk said via e-mail. "However, locally it seems like the political view is turning more and more negative. So there is no decision yet on the future of these plans."
More information on the Norwegian project can be found online at www.barents.no/barents-house.156868.en.html.
