Bush Bohlman was required to perform the structural analysis and timber design for the British Columbia Institute of Technology, (BCIT), student plaza, a pedestrian and public transport user gateway for the institute. The structure needed to establish a strong campus identity with a biophilic design and demonstrable support for sustainable building practices while ensuring structural safety according to local design codes. The hybrid mass timber structure consists of a Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) canopy, CLT columns, and steel columns.
By using S-TIMBER, the engineers were able to simulate the complex two-way bending behavior of the cantilevering roof panels and asymmetrical column layout. Having the model in S-TIMBER allowed for changes to be analyzed and re-designed, without the need to manually design individual timber and steel elements. S-TIMBER's design reports presented the design calculations concisely, yet transparently, for faster and easier reviews.