Element5 Mass Timber Offices &Manufacturing Facility

Element5’s 18,000 sq. ft., 2-storey mass timber offices form part of the company’s major manufacturing expansion in St. Thomas, Ontario, and serves as both a contemporary workplace and a full-scale demonstration of mass timber design and construction. 

Connected directly to the manufacturing facility, the building brings together the production and application of engineered wood products on a single campus.

Exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) and Glulam beams and columns define the interior, while glass partitions provide direct views into the adjoining production facility. Open workstations, flexible multipurpose spaces and private offices are organized around a central kitchen and café, with expansive glazing bringing natural light into the workplace and strengthening connections to the surrounding landscape.

Building With Mass Timber
The office uses a hybrid structural system featuring gGulam columns and beams, CLT shear walls, CLT floors with concrete topping, and a CLT roof. The mass timber structure and connections are intentionally left exposed, showcasing the precision, craftsmanship and range of connection strategies used in contemporary timber construction.

The office is part of a larger expansion that demonstrates mass timber across multiple scales. A prominent exterior canopy features massive fish-bellied Glulam girders (from Austria's HASSLACHER group), spanning 22.2 metres, creating a large, column-reduced area for the storage, staging and distribution of finished mass timber components. 

Together, the office and canopy create a living showcase of mass timber, from highly resolved workplace details to expressive, large-span industrial structures.