More than 350 design and building professionals celebrated a decade of wood design awards at the WoodWORKS! BC 2014 Wood Design awards in Vancouver on March 3.
Architects, structural engineers, project teams, local government, industry sponsors and guests participated in the event, recognizing individual and project accomplishments from 113 nominations in 12 categories. Projects were from all areas of the province, as well as some national and international submissions, including projects in Qingdao, China and the Yukon Territory. All projects showcase distinctive and unique qualities of wood such as strength, beauty, versatility, and cost-effectiveness.
Wood WORKS! is a national industry-led initiative of the Canadian Wood Councl. The annual Wood Design Awards evening recognizes leadership and innovation in wood use, while being an opportunity to publicly honour and encourage continued excellence in the building and design community.
The evening included a 10 year retrospective video journey which gave those who attended a glimpse of how wood design and building innovation has advanced over the past decade. Wood Champion award winners from the past 10 years credited the awards program for pushing innovation in design and building with wood and encouraging new types and sizes of buildings, beautiful aesthetics, increased structural performance and scale, and environmentally responsible design.
Mary Tracey, executive director of Wood WORKS! BC has been at the helm of the B.C. awards evening since its inception.
“We are truly in awe of the innovative and unique ways that wood has been used both architecturally and structurally this past decade and this year is a milestone, as we celebrate and reflect on 10 years of excellence,” said Mary Tracey, WoodWORKS! BC’s executive director. “The building and design community has amazed us again in 2014 with a continued exploration of the potential of wood, and showing us what is possible through their impressive structures.”
Notable points about this year’s nominations were the range of projects submitted and the variety of wood use – ranging from mid-rise light-frame wood construction to mass timber as a structural material.
Judges included Laura Hartman, architec, Fernau & Hartman Architects, Berkeley, CA; C .Y. Loh,formerly C.Y. Loh Associates Ltd., Vancouver, B.C.; Rick Jeffery, president and CEO, Coast Forest Products Association, Vancouver, B.C.; and Wesley Wollin, architect, BCIT Studio Instructor –Architectural Science, Burnaby, B.C.
Peter Busby of Perkins + Will received he Wood Champion Award for championing and pioneering the use of wood in many prominent B.C. public buildings. He was the driving force behind the implementation of wood in projects such as the Earth Sciences Building and Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability in Vancouver, the Brentwood and Gilmore Skytrain Stations and the Kingsway Pedestrian Bridge.
Under Mr. Busby’s leadership, the Perkins + Will Vancouver office has strived to improve the built environment, with a strong dedication to the practice of sustainability. “He has pushed the envelope in wood solutions by ensuring wood is integrated as a major component in the design of each building,” read his nomination.
Gerald Epp of Fast + Epp Structural Engineers received the Engineer Award. His project, the Bow River Bridge in Banff, Alberta, is one of the longest timber bridges of its kind. The Town of Banff desired natural materials for environmental and aesthetic reasons, and timber was the chosen material, the awards materials said.
Mike Mammone of Ratio Architecture – Interior Design – Planning received the Architect Award. The use of wood was instrumental in his project, Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union – Uptown Branch, Salmon Arm, B.C.
The Wood Innovation Award recognizes creative and innovative approaches in the use of wood in building design, product design and/or processes. Gord Macdonald, Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing, received recognition for his project WildPlay, in Kelowna, B.C. “This high ropes adventure course explores the limits of the structural potential of timber,” the award recognition news release said.
The former Green Building category has been renamed and redefined to be the Environmental Performance Award. It was presented to John Wall, PUBLIC: Architecture + Communication for his project Centennial Beach Boundary Bay Regional Park Pavilion in Delta, B.C. “The award recognizes how wood products played a significant role in improving the overall environmental performance of a structure” the WoodWORKS! B.C. announcement said. “Projects nominated for this award must demonstrate that through the deliberate use of wood from the outset, the wood products were integral in achieving a measureable lower environmental impact such as lower carbon footprint, reduced energy use, less pollution and higher efficiency.”
Wood design categories winners include:
- Residential Wood Design: David Hewitt, Hewitt + Company Architecture – Silver Lake House, Silver Lake, WA
- Multi-Unit Residential Wood Design: Andreas Kaminski, aka architecture + design inc. – Red Sky Townhomes, Whistler, B.C.
- Commercial Wood Design: Mike Mammone, Ratio Architecture – Interior Design – Planning – Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union – Uptown Branch, Salmon Arm, B.C.
- Interior Beauty Design: James Tuer, JWT Architecture and Planning – Forest House, Bowen Island, B.C.
- Institutional Wood Design – Small: Dave McIntyre, David Nairne + Associates Ltd. – Yunesit’in Health Centre, Hanceville, B.C.
- Institutional Wood Design – Large: Jennifer Marshall, Urban Arts Architecture – T’it’q’et Community Hall + Health Centre, Lillooet, B.C.
- Western Red Cedar: Alfred Waugh, Formline Architecture + Urbanism – Liard River Hot Springs Facility, Liard River, B.C.
There were two honourable mentions:
- Peter Busby, Robert Drew, Perkins + Will – Samuel Brighouse Elementary School, Richmond, B.C.
- Karen Marler, Hughes Condon Marler Architects – UniverCity Childcare Centre, Burnaby, B.C.
“We are pleased and proud to be celebrating a decade of Wood Design Awards in B.C. and look forward to another,” said Mary Tracey. “We sincerely thank the architects, structural engineers, project teams, academics, industry sponsors and many others who have supported and participated in our awards program during this past decade.”
“Wood Design Award nominees and winners have left a meaningful legacy in our communities including sustainable human-centred buildings and streetscapes; structures that are true to our wood heritage; employment for people in forestry and wood products; and advancement of innovation in wood design and building which has put B.C. on the forefront nationally and indeed globally,” she said.
