The Project

New construction of 8,500 sq. ft. pre-engineered metal warehouse and shopping dock with 5,000 sq. ft. two-storey office building.

Van Kam Freightways Ltd. ships over 1 billion pounds of goods annually in British Columbia and Alberta. Expansion of coverage required upgrades to the infrastructure system beginning with a new freight way terminal in Kelowna, BC. The warehouse facility took advantage of a cost-effective pre-engineered building solution. The office building combined cross-laminated (CLT) timber floor panels on heavy timber framing with CLT shear walls and exterior timber walls made of structural insulated panels for a robust building construction.

The Solution

The floor of the whole facility is built up to allow level access into the trucks by forklift and pallet loaders, with no change in level between the warehouse floor and staff rooms in the administration areas. For visitors to VanKam, access is gained through steps or a ramp into the reception area featuring exposed cross laminated timber (CLT) walls and a post and beam supporting structure. The industrial nature of the facility is balanced with the inclusion of wood — heavy glue-laminated (glulam) posts providing accent to the frontage, and framing each of the bay openings along the warehouse walls. The second floor of the administration space contains 90 square metres of exposed, stained CLT floors with featured glulam posts and beams. This level is accessible from the first floor by a stair core formed entirely with CLT and left exposed to frame the full-height windows in the stairwell.