How We Can Help
Projects
The Seagate Team
Careers at Seagate
Contact Us

Select Page

MEDIA

BROCK COMMONS MEDIA

Building Tall in Timber
The future of architecture is lumbering towards us
Crews complete structure of record-setting Brock Commons timber tower
Brock Commons – The World’s Tallest Wooden Residential Tower Nears Completion
Construction milestone for UBC Brock Commons
Brock Commons – UBC’s 18-storey wooden tower, installs final wood panel
Why the Tall Wood building is fireproof (and ahead of schedule)
The world’s tallest timber building was just topped off ahead of schedule
World’s tallest wooden residential tower nears completion
The case for wooden skyscrapers is not barking
World’s tallest timber building tops out ahead of schedule
UBC’s tall wood building to showcase prefab construction
A Wooden Way Forwards

OTHER

Wilson School of Design lauded for use of hybrid materials (October, 2018)
Brock Commons under construction August, 2016
Brock Commons Construction
Brock Commons – University of British Columbia

VIDEOS

First Nations Health Authority

Day in the Life of Seagate

Frances St.

Southridge

Juno Timelapse

Who We Are

St. Pauls Hospital

Cleveland Market Square

Pages Left

How Can We Help
Projects
The Seagate Team
Careers at Seagate
Media
Contact Us

© 2026 Seagate Mass Timber

Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

Ethan McDonald

General Superintendent

Ethan is a seasoned construction leader with extensive experience specializing in Mass Timber construction. Having progressed from Carpenter to General Superintendent, he brings a comprehensive understanding of the construction process—from hands-on field operations through project leadership, coordination, and successful execution.

His experience spans residential and commercial construction, renovations, framing, finishing, and the delivery of complex, large-scale Mass Timber projects. This broad field background gives Ethan a practical understanding of how projects come together and enables him to anticipate challenges, develop effective solutions, and support teams from preconstruction through installation and completion.

Known for his integrity, reliability, and commitment to safety, Ethan brings a practical, solutions-focused approach to demanding construction environments. He has played a key role in successfully delivering multiple large-scale Mass Timber projects while fostering a strong field culture built around safety, accountability, mentorship, and continuous learning.

Today, Ethan is focused on building strong industry relationships and leveraging his extensive field experience to strengthen preconstruction planning, project coordination, constructability, and execution. His ability to bridge the gap between planning and field operations provides valuable insight that helps teams identify challenges early and deliver projects safely, efficiently, and successfully.

SHAWN TWIGG

Director of Estimating

With more than 27 years of timber and steel experience spanning virtually every level of the industry—from sweeping the shop floor to leading estimating teams—Shaun brings a truly unique combination of practical knowledge, technical expertise, and passion to Seagate.

Over nearly three decades, Shaun has developed an exceptional understanding of how the structures we build actually go together and what is required to successfully fabricate and install them. His career has been built on a foundation of knowing how things are made, allowing him to visualize complex fabrication and installation scenarios, identify challenges early, and accurately quantify the labour, materials, and resources required to deliver a project.

Shaun combines this hands-on knowledge with formal education, industry certifications, a technology-forward approach, and extensive project experience across Canada and the United States. This depth of experience helps ensure the estimates he leads are not only commercially competitive, but technically sound, constructible, and operationally efficient.

Shaun’s passion for mass timber and sustainable building technologies has grown alongside the industry in North America, and he is equally passionate about sharing that knowledge with others. In addition to leading Seagate’s estimating team, Shaun teaches mass timber estimating to industry professionals throughout North America, helping advance the knowledge and capabilities of the sector as a whole.

RALPH AUSTIN

FOUNDER

Ralph Austin formed Seagate in 2001 when prefabricated framing was just in the experimental stages in Canada. Seagate quickly adopted it on every project and has since become the leader in install. Ralph is now a globally-sought-after speaker and consultant in the industry. Ralph’s career has spanned more than 40 years in construction. Starting as a framer, he quickly became interested in estimation and project management, before leading the construction of the world’s tallest hybrid wood structure.