British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Tall Timber Student Housing

Burnaby, BC
BCIT Web Banner
Keywords: Climate Resilience, Enclosure, Mass Timber, Passive House
  • Size 203,588-sf
  • Completion 2025
  • Services Provided Building Enclosure Consulting, Facade Engineering
  • Market Sector Higher-Ed
  • Architect Perkins&Will (RDH Client)
  • Owner British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)
  • Photographer Andrew Latreille Photography
The Tall Timber Student Housing project is a 12-storey mass timber development at BCIT’s Burnaby campus, providing 469 new student beds, common areas, and outdoor gathering spaces that prioritize carbon reduction and community well-being.

As BCIT’s first new student housing in more than 30 years, the project more than doubled the campus’s residential capacity and stands as one of British Columbia’s tallest mass timber structures. The residence is designed as a fully electric building.

RDH provided building enclosure consulting to help achieve BCIT’s goals for high efficiency, occupant comfort, and long-term resilience. Given the mass timber structure, RDH identified appropriate enclosure strategies that could help accelerate the project schedule and protect the mass timber elements during construction. RDH provided facade engineering services for the prefabricated facade mega panels that were integral to the success of the project including design-assist support, lab testing, and factory reviews.

The project achieved the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Design Standard certification, making it the first building on campus to earn this designation. The building also meets BC Energy Step Code 4 requirements. By integrating building science from schematic design through construction, RDH helped deliver a high-performance residence for BCIT’s growing student community.

LAP0628_pwBCITstudentRes_0123 LowRes
LAP0700_pwBCITstudentRes_0379 LowRes
67ed596971d40ed6eaea9d9b_1738248102734
LAP0700_pwBCITstudentRes_0468 LowRes
Bcit Tall Timber Student Housing 2024 1
LAP0700_pwBCITstudentRes_0336 LowRes

Technical Expertise. Real-World Impact.

Built on the best of building science. Subscribe for updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.