{"id":5577,"date":"2023-02-24T10:55:24","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T14:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/?p=5577"},"modified":"2023-08-03T16:01:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T20:01:20","slug":"passage-house-project-provides-pathway-on-how-to-execute-rhi-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/passage-house-project-provides-pathway-on-how-to-execute-rhi-construction\/","title":{"rendered":"Passage House project provides pathway on how to execute RHI construction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted on: February 24th, 2023. By: Don Proctor, constructconnect.com, Original Article.<\/a><\/p>\n

An 18-unit transitional housing project designed and built in seven months with only two change orders sets a standard for other housing projects at a time when speed of construction is a prerequisite to tackling the deepening housing affordability crisis in Ontario and Canada.<\/p>\n

Called Passage House, the residence in East Gwillimbury for the Blue Door, an emergency housing provider, was completed under the CMHC\u2019s Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) in mass timber through a partnership between architect R-Hauz Solutions Inc. and mass timber manufacturer Element5.<\/p>\n

The RHI aims to fund thousands of new affordable residences for people defined as most in need under the National Housing Strategy, and R-Hauz\u2019s director of sales and marketing Francesca MacKinnon believes teams like R-Hauz and Element5 can help it meet its goals.<\/p>\n

A cornerstone to success is the \u201crepeatability\u201d of the design and construction methods so future buildings can economically and speedily be put up, she says.<\/p>\n

Patrick Chouinard, Element5\u2019s vice-president of market strategy and communications, agrees, adding the market for mass timber in the affordable housing segment is \u201chuge\u201d and there are few design alternatives that can compete for speed of delivery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf all Element5 did was affordable housing we could produce about 3,200 units a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says while various government levels are striving for solutions to the housing affordability problem, private industry has to take \u201ca leadership role\u201d in solving the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is what we (R-Hauz and Element5) are attempting to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

R-Hauz has partnered with a number of non-profits in and around the Greater Toronto Area to do mass timber residences under the RHI including an eight-storey mass timber project with Element5 for WoodGreen Community Housing on Danforth Avenue.<\/p>\n

It has also consulted on an eight-storey, mass timber pilot project through the City of Toronto\u2019s Mass Timber Affordable Housing program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy we are getting interest as an affordable housing model is because it is an off-the-shelf, repeatable solution that can be modified for specific circumstances and built very quickly,\u201d says Chouinard, adding it fits the RHI\u2019s third phase (introduced last fall) agenda, requiring project completions of 18 months.<\/p>\n

Chouinard says by comparison conventional construction is often not a practical option.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we use traditional construction methods in which every building is a one-off then we\u2019ll never be able to satisfy the demand for affordable housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds design-build principles employed at Passage House fit for small-scale supportive housing in urban centres where lot sizes are small.<\/p>\n

The designs typically specify cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels for floors, demising walls between units, elevator shafts and stairwells. Glulam elements are used where needed.<\/p>\n

Design and detail work, such as the interface between the exterior panels and the structure and how CLT panels intersect with the foundation, is \u201creplicable across all projects\u2026so we don\u2019t have to redraw all of that,\u201d Chouinard points out.<\/p>\n

The success of the mass timber model for rapid housing, however, is dependent \u201con the integration of products and services\u201d at an early project development stage, he adds.<\/p>\n

The consortium should include the architect, general contractor and various consultants, including fire, envelope, mechanical and acoustical.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been building these relationships with R-Hauz for two or three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

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MacKinnon says R-Hauz employs integrated project delivery on all of its mass timber projects, not just affordable housing ones.<\/p>\n

The \u201csweet spot\u201d for mass timber is six storeys or less.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe greatest need in that sector is affordable housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anything between six and 12 floors requires a hybrid model, such as concrete for elevator cores.<\/p>\n

Chouinard says the growth of mass timber has multiplied in a few years but the sector\u2019s growth rate is dependent on designers and builders gaining familiarity with the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opportunities are there, it\u2019s just a matter of building the teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted on: February 24th, 2023. By: Don Proctor, constructconnect.com, Original Article. An 18-unit transitional housing project designed and built in seven months with only two change orders sets a standard for other housing projects at a time when speed of construction is a prerequisite to tackling the deepening housing affordability crisis in Ontario and Canada. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t