InfraStructures - April 2014 - Awards Event in British Columbia Celebrates the Best in Wood Building and Design

Awards Event in British Columbia
Celebrates the Best in Wood Building and Design

Ten years of Wood Design Awards in British Columbia were celebrated on March 3, 2014, by more than 350 distinguished design and building professionals in Vancouver including architects, structural engineers, project teams, local government, industry sponsors and guests. Nominees and winners of the Wood WORKS! BC 2014 Wood Design Awards were honored and recognized, as were those who have participated in the Wood Design Awards in British Columbia during the past decade.

Wood WORKS! is a national industry-led initiative of the Canadian Wood Council, with a goal to support innovation and provide leadership on the use of wood and wood products. Wood WORKS! BC provides education, training and technical expertise to building and design professionals involved with non-residential construction projects throughout British Columbia. The annual Wood Design Awards evening recognizes leadership and innovation in wood use, while being an opportunity to publicly honor and encourage continued excellence in the building and design community.

There were 113 nominations in 12 categories for the 2014 awards from all over the province, as well as some national and international project 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. 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 British Columbia 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. 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,” she said. 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.

“We are pleased and proud to be celebrating a decade of Wood Design Awards and look forward to another,” added 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,” concluded Ms. Tracey.

Source: Wood WORKS! BC

Watch a video of the event:

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