Design+Build : Performative Wood : robotic fabrication and parametric mass timber pavilion design in the Lower Mainland

Typically, the Master of Architecture (MARCH) program at the University of British Columbia (UBC) asks students to determine and define a topic they find compelling enough to complete two consecutive semesters researching the selected area of interest. However, in an effort to expand UBC’s Design+Build program within the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), a design-build opportunity was proposed to the graduating class of 2026. This was open to MARCH, Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA), and Master of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (MARCLA) students. Design-builds are a method of program delivery, and typically entail a single entity (in this instance, UBC master’s students) providing both professional design services for, and the construction of, the project. Students were selected from the pool of applicants by faculty of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), after students submitted an expression of interest application in the spring of 2025. Fourteen students were selected from the entries, thirteen completed Graduate Project 1 (GP1) in winter term 1 of 2025, and twelve completed the design-build for Graduate Project 2 (GP2) in winter term 2 of 2026. Two sites were initially selected: Boundary Bay Regional Park, with the client being Metro Vancouver, and Flavelle Park, with the client being the City of Port Moody. Due to circumstances, in February 2026, the decision was made to commit to building only the pavilion at Boundary Bay, so a larger portion of this research document pertains to that site. This novel version of the Graduate Project was conducted as a year-long project that built on faculty research, with support from industry leaders in design, manufacturing and fabrication. The essence of the design-build was to create a parametric, timber pavilion with a life span of 40 years, led by AnnaLisa Meyboom and James Huemoeller, in which the primary focus was on robotic wood fabrication. Through this opportunity, students were introduced to key concepts and methods of digital fabrication, known more commonly as Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA). The topics covered in this document include parametric design, digital fabrication, robotic fabrication, and augmented/virtual reality within construction. For fabrication, students were able to utilise the newly built Faculty of Applied Science Digital Design Studio (DDS) and the UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP), while robots at the Vancouver Fast+Epp office were also made available.