TIMBER SYSTEMS LTD.
CUSTOM TIMBER HOMES
NATHAN L HUISMAN
Email: info@kinsoltimber.com Phone: 250.588.8770 WWW.KINSOLTIMBER.COM
COVER PHOTO: MEREDITH HOUSE BY GIBEON PHOTOGRAPHY
WHO WE ARE Kinsol Timber Systems Ltd. (“Kinsol”) is a team of specialist timber framers combining the legacy of craftsmanship with the spirit of innovation, embracing new strategies and finding better, more sustainable ways of building beautiful structures. We are located on Vancouver Island, B.C. overlooking the Saanich Inlet from our hilltop shop-site just outside of Mill Bay. Access to Canada’s best and most sustainable timber is a distinct advantage of being located in British Columbia, our forestry sector having been recognized as a global leader in sustainable forest management. Our team of craftsmen has a breadth of experience spanning all aspects of timber work: from traditional joinery and architectural beam work on custom timber frame homes and heritage restoration or conservation projects to commercial and institutional mass timber structures. The combined decades of experience amongst our crew ranges from the son of a third generation shipwright from Nova Scotia to a “Compagnons du Devoir” trained Frenchman, to a logger-turnedcarpenter born and raised right here. Together, we specialize in working collaboratively with architects, engineers, general contractors and our clients in order to deliver carefully detailed, constructible, and often ambitious buildings while remaining within agreed timetables and budgets. Our most successful projects have been collaborations where we participate alongside other professionals at the very earliest stages of the design and specification process. We understand that no single person or firm can provide all of the answers all of the time and that our best work is achieved through the cooperation with and support of a larger team.
CORE VALUES:
Integrity Performance Community
Stevenson House
SUSTAINABLITY Wood is the most abundant naturally renewable building material on the planet. With its capacity for sequestering carbon as well as the lowest embodied energy of any primary building material, designing with wood, where suitable, makes a significant contribution to the sustainability of a design. But it’s more complex than that. For good reason, sustainable design often focuses on durability - for the purpose of conserving resources. This means ensuring that a structure will last, as a result of careful material selections, performance connection detailing, and on-going care and maintenance. Also, designing with the specific intent that the structure can be renovated or rehabilitated without complete dismantling is an integral part to sustainable design. Recovering materials at the end of a building’s life rather than sending them to landfill is another way to extend material longevity—and wood is well suited to deconstruction and re-use, perhaps more so than steel. When longevity is a challenge, then resource conservation typically involves the three 'R's (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle). These are especially important for finite non-renewable resources. The use of wood embodies a fourth “R” that is well worth considering — a shift to Renewable resources like forest products. Trees absorb carbon as they grow and when made into wood products, continue to store that carbon over their lifetime. Both natural regeneration and re-planting after harvest continue this cycle. Wood also has approximately 80-84% less embodied energy (the energy associated with the manufacturing of construction materials) than it's structural counterparts, concrete and steel. So, increasing our use of wood products over carbon-intensive materials and maximizing their reuse and recycling is a smart climate solution. Add to that the implementation of forestry practices that manage and maintain this valuable resource, alongside the evolution of building technology, and we can effectively provide renewable building materials in the long term.
BIOPHILIC DESIGN
“From a psychoevolutionary perspective, there are certain things in nature that gave us an evolutionary advantage. For most of our evolution, humans have had a close relationship to trees and wood, so it’s only natural that its visible presence has a positive effect on our wellbeing. This is not a learned reaction, it is an innate response. We are wired to recognize things in nature that benefit us.” - David Fell, former research leader at FPInnovations
Tresah Presentation Centre
The word biophilia originates from the Greek, 'philia' meaning 'love of'. It literally means a love of life or living things; and even further, it refers to humans’ innate need for connections to nature. There is no shortage of evidence showing that when people have contact with nature, their neurological, physiological and psychological responses result in lowered levels of stress, an increase in relaxation and positive moods, as well as increased concentration. With this understanding, biophilic design has become increasingly popular in the realm of architectural and interior design; and we are seeing more natural elements - like wood - being incorporated into both the construction and interiors of modern buildings. In fact, wood is one of the few natural elements that can simultaneously achieve four important goals: reduced carbon emissions; increased sustainability in a building’s life cycle; improved occupant wellbeing; and increased organizational benefits from having happier, healthier and more productive employees when used in office buildings.
QUALITY ASSURANCE Our team’s experience with timber buildings has taught us some valuable lessons about the preplanning process and the importance of exhaustive digital planning; systemic quality and process control; and the ongoing digitalization of the construction process in real time. In other words, the success of a project is most often determined by focused diligence during the planning phase followed by continued collaborative efforts of the larger team throughout the building process. Where pre-fabrication is involved (as it so often is with timber frame buildings), we work with building inspectors who come to our shop in the early stages of shop assembly and verify the quality installation of systems which may become concealed during the assembly process. We have established good Lake Cowichan Timber Frame relationships with these inspectors and developed a method of reporting that gives them confidence that they do not need to be in our shop inspecting every timber component. This has often been nothing more than a quality control checklist, signed by the supervisor, and accompanied by a photograph showing the services needing inspecting. Modern innovations around the digitalization of the building process gives us the opportunities to collect and monitor data, empowering our crew to digitally understand what their geometric constraints will be in the upcoming week. By comparing this data ahead of time, we are able to anticipate fit challenges and get ahead of them to prevent costly delays. Kinsol has invested tens of thousands of dollars acquiring the tools and training to capture the extraordinary value of technologies like BIM (Building Information Modelling) and Total Station, allowing us to achieve the high standard of project planning, management and execution that our clients and collaborators have come to expect.
Sunset House
Even so, the best laid plans can encounter unforeseen hurdles. That is when our team’s collective decades of experience from their diverse backgrounds in the industry give us a distinct advantage for creative on-the-fly problem-solving.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Fulford Residence
Kinsol is dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of its staff, clients and professional associates. This additionally includes members of the public when they enter our work areas. We believe that there is a safe and practical solution for every work task. Our commitment to meet or exceed the safe work requirements under WorkSafe BC’s Act, Regulations, and Guidelines is evident in the Jobsite Specific Work Plan that we create for each project. Our policies and procedures are defined in the company’s Health, Safety, and Environmental manual, which is a condition of employment for every Kinsol employee, and a requirement for all subcontractors working on our sites. The health and safety of our colleagues and guests is the direct concern of the company owners, and we recognize the function of management in providing the right circumstances under which work may be carried out safely. This includes providing the following: good and accurate information, effective and relevant training, well- maintained tools and equipment, personal protective equipment, thorough work planning, detailed risk assessments, appropriate supervision, and an open environment where any concern can be expressed without fear of repercussions.
SELECT RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS
GIBEON PHOTOGRAPHY
MEREDITH HOUSE Mill Bay, B.C. Architect Brian Hemingway Architect | Engineer Ennova Structural Engineers | General Contractor Bill Hustler Construction
GIBEON PHOTOGRAPHY
RIVER HOUSE Ladner, BC Architect Scott M. Kemp Architect | Engineer JM Engineering | General Contractor Owner-Builder
STEVENSON HOUSE Shawnigan, BC Designer Banks Design | Engineer Ennova Structural Engineers | General Contractor Owner-Builder
SUNSET HOUSE Salt Spring Island, BC Architect Diron Design | Engineer W. Simpson Engineering | General Contractor B-Cubed Construction
LAKE COWICHAN TIMBER FRAME Lake Cowichan, BC Architect Christine Lintott Architects| Engineer ISL Engineering | General Contractor JBL Custom Homes
"Having the team at Kinsol involved in the building of our lakeside cabin was terrific. They were incredibly organized, very easy to work with and the quality is second to none. They made sure we were involved in every part of the project and worked with us through any challenge at came up. We can highly recommend Kinsol for any project." - Todd Blumel (owner of the Lake Cowichan timber frame home)
MICHAEL MARSHALL, B.SC., MA ORGL Partner & CEO
Michael obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Social & Behavioral Sciences from Linfield College and later received a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. Mike leads Kinsol with 20 years of experience spanning all aspects of the timber industry, from automated and digital manufacturing, sales, marketing and management. Mike has spent much of his career in the leadership of the design and construction of some of Canada’s most innovative timber structures. Having led many innovative adventure projects, Mike is a valuable resource when it comes to leading and steering design teams through the challenges of concept creation, constructability, and budgeting.
STEVE STEVENSON, B.A. Partner & COO
Steve obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Victoria, and later completed several courses with the Sauder School of Business (UBC) and the Harvard School of Business. With 17 years of senior management experience in the construction industry, Steve heads business operations at Kinsol, overseeing the entire project delivery process, including design, pre-fabrication, installation, and follow-up client care. His discipline in front-end planning and organization ensures smooth interaction with other contractors and delivers confidence to our clients that they are in good hands when it comes to getting it built on schedule and on budget.
TYLER HILTUNEN Operations Manager
Tyler has a wealth of industry and operational management knowledge through his experiences in both facilities and project management in the Civil Construction and Energy industries. He brings a focussed approach to both project and operational management to the Kinsol team, having achieved not only his PMP certification, but also a Masters Certificate in Project Management from the University of Victoria.
JOHN LOHSEN Project Manager
John fulfills such a broad range of duties, from estimating, design, and project management through to hands-on building. With a degree in wood science and his experience as a master-builder, John adds a great deal of value to the projects he leads.
Kinsol Timber Systems 2021