Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd.

The Fraser River residence is a very unusually framed structure constructed from western red cedar. It is likely to be the first LEED platinum residence in BC and the second in Canada when it is completed in 2010.

One of the project aims was to use timber from sustainable sources and minimize transportation. To this end, M&L sourced cedar logs from wind blown salvage on Vancouver Island and managed the process of specification, purchase, milling and grading on behalf of the Owner. All of the timbers are regular lumber sizes from 2 x 4 up to 2 x 12, the lumber is laminated together to make larger sections – the laminated, stepped edge timbers used throughout to create the post and beam structure are a prominent feature of the design.

The site is on the side of the Fraser River and the home features a geothermal loop installed within a floating dock and radiant floor heating. The building envelope employs structural insulated panels and it is expected that energy usage will be very low.

M&L performed all of the detailed design for the structure and created a 3D model using CADwork software to make ‘piece’ drawings for the thousands of components. After being cut, the components were pre-assembled in our shop to ensure an accurate fit, then labelled and packaged for shipping to the job site. Once the structural frames had been installed, M&L went on to install all of the glazing frames (glazed later in-situ by the glass contractor).