First Nations Health Authority Administration Building (FNHA)

The First Nations Health Authority Administration Building (FNHA) was constructed primarily of mass timber in Metro Vancouver. The 5-story facility, located on the Tsleil-Waututh Nation land in North Vancouver pays homage to the Coast Salish people. The design is inspired by the plank house tradition and built of glue-laminated timber (glulam) beams and cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor and roof panels.

Designed to expose as much mass timber as possible, the interior spaces will take advantage of biophilic design principles. The building is primarily an office, along with social spaces for meetings, gatherings, cultural activities, education, and demonstrations.

A raised floor system covering an underfloor air and modular power system was used to maximize the flexibility for adapting the spaces over the life of the building. They included an accessible, magnetic wood floor system over the raised access floor allowing full access to the building infrastructure. Keeping the CLT ceilings as free of services as possible takes full advantage of the wood structure’s aesthetic beauty. Unique to the building’s design are two large openings in the middle of the floorplate for an open staircase and the building’s main mechanical shaft. Daylit by a skylight, the open staircase will stretch through all levels and will give the interior architecture a sense of spacious interconnectivity and transparency.