ties and cities want more sustainable and healthier built environments. Here in BC, designers and builders are leading the way by using wood because it is cost-effec- tive; is renewable; has a smaller carbon footprint; and because it creates beautiful and comfortable spaces where people love to live and work.” The panel of four judges included Paul Newman, ex- ecutive director, market access and trade, Council of Forest Industries; Thomas Tannert, PhD, P.Eng., associ- ate chair wood building design and construction, The University of British Columbia; Elsa Lam, BES, MArch II, PhD, MRAIC, editor, Canadian Architect Magazine; and Don Lovell, Architect AIBC, CD, M.Arch. (Retired), Victo- ria, BC. Wood Champion Award The Wood Champion Award was presented to Marie- Odile Marceau, principal, McFarland Marceau Architects Ltd. in Vancouver. “Marceau has a long and distin- guished architectural career in both the public and pri- vate sectors,”WoodWORKS! BC said in the news release. “Her portfolio of sensitive and profound school projects in many First Nations communities has pro- vided a lasting and significant positive learning impact on the students and communities alike. She champi- oned the use of wood in these buildings primarily as cul- tural reference, but also as an economic driver. Wood is a building material readily available in many First Nations communities, and promotes the utilization of commu- nity labour in the harvest, transformation and erection of wood members.” Engineer Award Eric Karsh, principal, Equilibrium Consulting Inc. in Vancouver, received the Engineer Award in recognition of his love of using wood through innovative structural designs such as the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) “tilt up” balloon frame construction in the Ronald Mc- Donald House BC – a first in North America. This is a system combining the convenience of concrete with the advantages of wood. He has also developed the use of curved, organic shapes, cut from sheets of three-ply cross-laminated timber to form elegant roof and column elements at the UBCO Fitness and Wellness Centre in Kelowna. Karsh also coauthored “The Case for Tall Wood Build- ings” report which introduced an innovative mass tim- ber panel construction concept. Karsh was also the structural engineer of record for the Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George, BC. Architect Award The Architect Award was presented to Vancouver- based Michael Green Architecture. This firm's projects range from airports in Prince George and Ottawa, to a landmark social welfare facility fashioned from CLT. The recently-completed Wood Innovation and Design Cen- tre, the tallest contemporary wood structure in North America, demonstrates economical and repeatable technologies for building high-rise structures with tim- ber. Green was also the co-author for “The Case for Tall Wood Building,” the subject of his high-profile TED Talk. Wood Innovation Award Michael Green, principal, Michael Green Architec- ture, received the Wood Innovation Award, recognizing creative and innovative approaches in the use of wood in building and product design. Green designed the Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George. The structure represents a milestone in the future of tall wood buildings,” Wood- WORKS! BC says. The project introduces new methods of working with mass timber panels, specifically cross- laminated tim- ber, and is a true showcase for BC wood products. The jury described this project as “an exquisite interplay of structure and finish to provide a translucent, warm and inviting structure. The attention to detail is evident throughout, and provides pleasing aesthetic patterns which are both convincing and alluring.” Environmental Performance Award The Environmental Performance Award was pre- sented to Matheo Durfeld of BC Passive House for his project, BC Passive House Plant in Pemberton, BC. The award recognizes how wood products played a signifi- cant role in improving the overall environmental per- formance of a structure. The project was designed to meet the Passive House Standard, currently the world's most rigorous energy standard. The result: an 80-90 per cent reduction in the annual energy used for heating and cooling. The "wood first" approach for the structure of the building avoided approximately 365 metric tons of CO2 emissions. The jury stated that, "This building exempli- fies the use of wood to achieve energy savings, and re- duce environmental impact.” The Canadian Design and Construction Report — April-May 2015 – 51