YWCA Supportive Housing

YWKW’s 41-unit supportive housing project received funding from the federal governments Rapid Housing Initiative. Element5 worked closely with the architect to develop an optimized CLT grid based on our St. Thomas manufacturing plant’s production specs. The optimized design and modular construction approach generated cost savings that enabled the mass timber solution to beat out numerous other ‘affordable’ designs during the bid process. Taking advantage of manufacturing efficiencies helped drive down cost. Furthermore, the decision to use prefabricated mass timber components for both the structure and building envelope significantly reduced the construction schedule. This modular delivery method, where building components are factory-built and then rapidly assembled on site, offers cost savings over a strictly site-built project.