Photos courtesy WoodWorks BC 2017 Wood Design Awards
More than 400 design/construction professionals celebrated structural and architectural wood projects at the Vancouver Convention Centre earlier this month. Sponsored by WoodWorks BC, the Wood Design Awards’ 13 categories received a record 114 nominations this year, with international and Canada-wide submissions in addition to British Columbian.
Projects were judged for their ability to showcase wood’s benefits (e.g. strength, beauty, versatility, and cost-effectiveness), by a panel including:
- Adele Weder, MASA, MRAIC (Hon), an architectural journalist;
- Bob Smith, B.Sc.F., M.Sc., of Canfor;
- Karla Fraser of Urban One Builders; and
- Ed Lim of United Building Systems.
“With wood now recognized for its ability to significantly reduce carbon impacts in our built environment and increase construction efficiency, it is playing a leading role in a design and building revolution,” said Lynn Embury-Williams, executive director of WoodWorks BC. “The relentless exploration of new frontiers with wood is the foundation of our awards program, and the projects presented here this evening provide a view into the future.”
The winners included:
- Dana Westermark of Oris Consulting earned the Wood Champion Award for pioneering work in mid-rise residential buildings;
- Fast + Epp earned the Engineer Award for the cost-effective, practical, and esthetically appealing roof structure of its Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre (Surrey, B.C.);
- HCMA Architecture + Design earned the Architect Award for both supporting wood use in the industry and recognizing its various contributions to British Columbian communities;
- Iain Weir-Jones of Weir-Jones Group earned the Wood Innovation Award for Shoreline by MGA, which used the material to create a design that was modern, unique, and welcoming;
- Vancouver Coastal Health Authority earned the Environmental Performance Award for its efficient implementation of modular construction in building Bella Bella Passive House;
- Kengo Kuma of Kengo Kuma and Associates of Tokyo, Japan, earned the Jury’s Choice Award for Shaw Tower Teahouse, Vancouver; and
- Hacker earned the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Award for Lakeside at Black Butte Ranch, Oregon.
Other winners earned awards according to the list of categories, including:
- residential wood design, awarded to Bo Helliwell and Kim Smith of Helliwell + Smith | Blue Sky Architecture for Arbutus House in Victoria;
- multi-unit residential wood design, awarded to Innovation Building Group Ltd. for its Solana project in Whistler;
- commercial wood design, awarded to Chris Jacques of Read Jones Christofferson Ltd. for Tsawwassen Mills;
- interior beauty design, awarded to Ron Windjack of HDR | CEI Architecture Associates Inc. for an addition to Mulgrave Senior School;
- small institutional wood design, awarded to Shelley Craig of Urban Arts Architect for University of British Columbia (UBC) Engineering Student Centre;
- large institutional wood design, awarded to Patkau Architects, represented by Patricia and John Patkau, for Audain Art Museum;
- western red cedar, awarded to Franc D’Ambrosio of D’Ambrosio architecture + urbanism for Cadboro Bay Residence; and
- international wood design, awarded to Vancouver’s Michael Green Architecture (MGA) and Steve Cavanaugh of Chicago’s DLR Group for T3 (Minneapolis, Minnesota).
