The Vienna House community is already yielding a wealth of lessons. Here we feature the reports that capture them.
BC Housing Resources
Builder Insight Bulletins: This series of bulletins explain how the Vienna House project is putting innovation to work. BC Housing is hosting these bulletins at its Research Centre Library, and we are pleased to make them available here as well. [Download]
Housing For All: This exploratory research report studied the social-economic impacts of social housing models in Vienna, Austria, to assess their applicability to Vancouver. [Download]
Study on Building Form Decision: This report summarized the considerations and decisions that resulted in the configuration of the project. The authors distilled their findings from interviews with key members of the Project Steering Committee during the schematic design stage. [Download]
Integrated Design Process Workshop 1: The first Vienna House IDP workshop sought to share information between the cities of Vancouver and Vienna on best practices in innovative affordable wood social housing projects, and identify state-of-the-art solutions and best practices. [Download]
Integrated Design Process Workshop 2: The second workshop helped equip the project steering committee with the information needed to hire the project team. In particular, it focused on developing a commercially oriented and competitive procurement path. [Download]
Integrated Design Process Workshop 3: The third Vienna House workshop provided an opportunity for enhanced collaboration between the projects in Vienna and Vancouver, and highlighted social housing objectives, initiatives, and projects. [Download]
Integrated Design Process Workshop 4: The final Vienna House workshop compared the project and process in Vienna as discussed in the previous workshop. It also provided background information about the project and its participants, as well as initial strategies, as the design phase got underway. [Download]
Design for Disassembly: This report provides resources for designers and architects to implement Design for Disassembly principles, and highlights opportunities to use wood in construction. [Download]
BIM Requirements Specification V1.0: BC Housing is implementing a Building Information Management (BIM) process to develop accurate 3D models of projects that can be used throughout the life cycle of its facilities. This document establishes the associated technical requirements and workflows. [Download]
Mobilizing Building Adaptation and Resilience (MBAR)
Mobilizing Building Adaptation and Resilience (MBAR) is a multi-year, multi-stakeholder knowledge- and capacity-building project led by BC Housing; more than 30 organizations are participating and contributing. MBAR addresses climate impacts on buildings and neighbourhoods. BC Housing expects that knowledge created by the MBAR initiative will help building owners address and minimize the impacts of climate change on buildings and the people who live in them.
Introduction to Building Information Modeling
Vienna House will be the first non-market multifamily housing project in British Columbia to use Building Information Modeling (BIM) from concept design, through project delivery, and on to facility management. BIM is a set of policies, processes, and technologies that enable multiple parties to collaboratively design, construct, and operate a facility in virtual space. This video provides an overview of the approach and its benefits:
FPInnovations
FPInnovations (FPI) is a private not-for-profit research organization that creates solutions to support the Canadian forestry sector’s global competitiveness. The Sustainable Construction group carries out state-of-the-art research, develops advanced technologies, and delivers creative solutions for wood-based building systems.
The program measures the performance of innovative wood-based buildings using non-destructive testing and monitoring methods. The organization does so to:
- Compare field measurement results with design expectations to improve the designs of future buildings
- Validate modelling to improve design tools, and
- Acquire field performance data needed to fill priority knowledge gaps and to support regulatory and market acceptance for innovative (e.g., taller, larger, energy efficient, prefabricated) wood buildings.
During Vienna House construction, FPInnovations may test for building lateral vibration, floor vibration, and acoustics. On a longer-term basis, the organization may monitor durability, building envelope performance, occupant comfort, energy efficiency, and building lateral performance.
PUBLIC: Architecture + Communication
Study of Adjustable Exterior Solar Shading Options for Multi-Unit Residential Projects: This report finds that adjustable exterior shading is one of the most effective tools to achieve occupant thermal and visual comfort in summer months by controlling solar radiation. [Download]
SCIUS Advisory
Cross-Laminated Timber and Cold-Formed Steel Suitability Assessment: This report investigated the potential to use a hybrid Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Cold Formed Steel (CFS) system on the project. [Download]
Introba
CO2 Air Source Heat Pumps for Domestic Hot Water: This report examines options for providing domestic hot water at Vienna House using heat pumps that use carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant. [Download]
Vienna House Whole Life Carbon Study: This study assesses the carbon impacts of Vienna House across its anticipated full life span—from groundbreaking, through operation, and including its eventual decommissioning many decades from now. The Mass Timber Demonstration Program generously funded this research. [Download]
UBC Collaborative Research
Design Phase Overview: The UBC Sustainability Hub produced this presentation on its Vienna House Design Phase Case Study work in March 2023. The Vienna House project team and numerous stakeholders contributed to this resource. [Download]