The 2016 B.C. Wood Design Awards winners were announced Feb. 29 at Vancouver Convention Centre West by Wood WORKS! BC. The 12th annual awards event recognized leadership in advancing wood use in design and building while being an opportunity to publicly salute and celebrate structural and architectural achievement using wood.
There were 103 nominations in 13 categories from all over the province, as well as some national and international submissions, including England, Germany, Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan for the new International Wood Design category. Included in the awards were many impressive large public buildings including a museum, visitor centre and a diplomatic property.
“B.C.’s leadership in wood design and building and our reputation as a global supplier of high quality wood products were very apparent. B.C.’s most visionary designers and project teams have once again embraced wood for its natural beauty, strength, flexibility, versatility, lower environmental impact and cost-effectiveness,” said Lynn Embury-Williams, executive director, Wood WORKS! BC.
The panel of four judges were: Ian Niamath, Architect AIBC, Dip. Arch., Poly., RAIC, Nanaimo, BC; Joseph Mayo, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Mahlum Architects Inc., Seattle, WA; Mark Porter, FIStructE, P.Eng., Struct.Eng, Division Manager – Buildings & Facilities Technical Services, Associated Engineering, Burnaby, BC and Peter Wood, Western Canada Region Manager, Weyerhaeuser, Vancouver, BC.
A Special Recognition Award was presented to University of British Columbia by Wood WORKS! BC by Hon. Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for the university’s leadership in wood design and building. UBC is the site of many iconic buildings featuring technologically advanced wood products and systems made in BC, which also supports its sustainability goals.
“UBC is proud to be the recipient of this unique award by Wood WORKS! BC. It will serve as a lasting reminder of the central importance of wood and forestry to the history of UBC, from the creation of the botanical garden and arboretum on the Point Grey campus in 1916 to the building of our new all-wood student residence to be completed later this year,” stated UBC Interim President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Martha C. Piper.
The Wood Champion Award was presented to Andrew Harmsworth of GHL Consultants Ltd. Thomas Leung of Thomas Leung Structural Engineering Inc. of Vancouver received the Engineer Award for his firm’s efficient designs and practical solutions in the popular six-storey light-frame wood construction sector.
The Architect Award was presented to Patrick Cotter, of ZGF Cotter Architects Inc. of Vancouver. The Wood Innovation Award went to Toronto-based Stephen Teeple of Teeple Architects Inc. and Edmonton-based Brian Bengert of Architecture Tkalcic Bengert for the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in Wembley, Alberta (Photo above). New technology was developed to build the wood structure, and the project has pushed the boundaries where wood can be used as a viable and sustainable structural system for large buildings.
The Environmental Performance Award went to Whistler-based Karen and Karel Jonker, owners, and Matheo Durfeld of BC Passive House for Alta Lake Passive House in Whistler, BC.
Other awards include:
Residential Wood Design: Leland Dadson, Architect – CLT Courtyard House, Vancouver, BC
Multi-Unit Residential Wood Design: Dale Staples, Integra Architecture Inc. – The Dominion, New Westminster, BC
Commercial Wood Design: Peter Johannknecht and Greg Damant, Cascadia Architects – Cordova Bay Physiotherapy Clinic, Saanich, BC
Interior Beauty Design: Noel Best, Stantec Architecture Ltd. – Canada House, London, England
Institutional Wood Design – Small: Graham McGarva and Scott Taylor, VIA Architecture – Queensway Transit Exchange, Kelowna, BC
Institutional Wood Design – Large: Donald Schmitt, Diamond Schmitt Architects and Thompson Rivers University, Old Main Addition, Faculty of Law School, represented by: Matt Milovick – Thompson Rivers University, Old Main Academic Building Addition, Kamloops, BC
Western Red Cedar: James Tuer, JWT Architecture and Planning – Buddhist International Society Retreat, Bowen Island, BC
International Wood Design: Gerald Epp, StructureCraft Builders – Tsingtao Pearl Visitor Centre, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Award was presented to KH Designs of West Kelowna for the Quilakwa Centre in Enderby, BC. The project owner, Splatsin, along with other project team members was on hand to receive the prestigious award, part of the North American Wood Design Awards.
Jury’s Choice awards were also presented to two noteworthy projects and their designer/project teams:
C.C. Yao, Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. – UBC Student Union Building, Vancouver, BC
Bing Thom Architects – Guildford Aquatic Centre, Surrey, BC
The BC 2016 Wood Design Award winners can be viewed at www.wood-works.ca/bc
