Pender Harbour’s to-be-built Ocean Discovery Station is getting a boost from government funding, as MLA Nicholas Simons touts the project’s innovative and eco-friendly elements.
A July 12 press release says the Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station, called PODS, will be the first net-zero carbon mass timber building on the Sunshine Coast. Mass timber is made by attaching layers of smaller wood together with glue, dowels or nails, and these products can make strong, load-bearing structures for residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation says the process can deliver up to seven times the economic value of milling logs for lumber, while also reducing waste.
Made almost entirely of wood, the PODS structure in Garden Bay will feature a Douglas fir interior, glue-laminated and cross-laminated timber. The materials help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, Simons said, will help grow B.C.’s clean economy.
The marine facility’s design will reflect the region’s maritime culture as the shape evokes wooden boats. The announcement says it “will attract visitors from land and sea to this research, education, and recreation hub.” According to naturallywood.com the estimated completion date will be in 2025 by Miskimmin Structural Engineering.
“This new project will be an exciting development for our community,” Simons, MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, said in the release. “Not only will the Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station draw visitors to the Sunshine Coast, the facility will showcase how we can use natural resources in an innovative and sustainable way.”
PODS is one of 12 new mass timber demonstration and research projects receiving a chunk of the $4 million in funding from the provincial government. The Loon Foundation will receive $388,000 for the Pender Harbour project.
The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation identifies the 12 projects as helping to “change the face of construction throughout the province” by building climate-smart structures with renewable and sustainable products.
"Investing in B.C.'s mass-timber sector allows us to get more value from every tree harvested, while supporting good jobs for people throughout B.C.,” Minister Brenda Bailey said in a separate statement.
Bruce Ralston, the Minister of Forests said, “As we move forward to build a strong, sustainability-managed forest sector, we are making sure to support the people and communities who have built B.C. forestry into the world-class industry it is today. Modernizing our forestry sector means retrofitting forestry operations to get more value from every part of the tree, while strengthening our economy and ensuring good-paying, family-supporting jobs for generations to come."
