North Island College

tul’al’txw is the first on-campus student housing at North Island College’s Comox Valley campus in Courtenay. Two four-storey buildings deliver 217 beds, with 157 individual rooms and 60 family suites, including 11 accessible units. The complex combines light-frame wood and mass timber. Its form and common areas draw on the gathering structures of the K’ómoks First Nation, including the Big Houses, and follow the K’ómoks First Nation Developer Guide. The name tul’al’txw means “a house of learning” in pentl’ach, the language of the K’ómoks First Nation. The buildings target a Step 4 BC Energy Step Code rating, the highest for commercial buildings in the province, and use wood in place of steel and concrete to lower embodied carbon.

Ourt dowel laminated timber the shared spaces their warmth and structure. DLT and glulam form a post-and-beam system across the common areas, including the Knowledge Bridge that connects the two residential buildings, the Indigenous Gathering Space, and the family building’s commons room. DLT is fastened with hardwood dowels and no glue, so it supports healthy indoor air quality in the lobbies, lounges, and gathering rooms where students live and meet. Exposed timber columns and ceilings carry the design through these spaces. The wood was sourced from British Columbia mills, supporting local employment in line with the College’s commitment to reconciliation and the Province’s Wood First program.