November 6, 2009

Wood Works awards

Photo: Tom Arban Photography

The Interior Design Award went to the Royal Conservatory of Music Koerner Concert Hall for its ceiling structure that reduces the imposing presence of the acoustic reflector over the stage.

I M A G E   G A L L E R Y

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Wood Works Ontario salutes architects, engineers

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

An elite group of Ontario’s architects, engineers, and project teams were honoured at the 9th annual Wood Works awards in Toronto last night. The awards recognize people and organizations advancing the use of wood in non-residential construction.

“We are thrilled to see more design professionals specifying wood in a wider variety of building types,” said Marianne Berube, Wood Works Ontario executive director. “This year’s winners are diverse, demonstrating wood’s exceptional versatility.”

Working with the design community, Wood Works connects practitioners with resources related to the use of wood in non-residential construction, assists in product sourcing and delivers educational seminars and training opportunities.

In all, there were 69 nominations this year.

Winning projects range in size from a small, off-the-grid, eco-retreat to an art gallery expansion and cover diverse uses including a hospital, concert hall, winery and library.

In the winners’ circle were the following projects:

•Green Building Wood Design: Bridgenorth Library and Community Hall in Bridgenorth, Levitt Goodman Architects Ltd., Blackwell Bowick Partnership Ltd. The 8,500-square-foot facility was constructed entirely from wood products. Wood frame construction made it possible for the design team to implement additional sustainable design elements, without going over budget. Veering away from conventional construction detailing, the team exposed as much of the wood structure as possible.

•Interior Design: Royal Conservatory of Music, Koerner Concert Hall, Toronto, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, Halcrow Yolles. A ceiling “veil” structure was conceived to reduce the imposing presence of the acoustic reflector over the stage. The design began with the concept of a wood ceiling veil springing from the chorus level, rising towards the ceiling, and sailing across the reflector to the back of the hall. The ribbon-like structure of the ceiling veil is a metaphor for the strings of a musical instrument.

•Multi-Unit Wood Design: Seaway Pointe, Phase 1, Welland, Jonathan Weizel Architect, Hallex Engineering Ltd. Wood framing was chosen for the four-storey, 72-unit waterfront condominium because it was less costly than other construction methods. Wood construction helped the developer achieve his goal to provide “quality, affordable” housing for every lifestyle.

•Commercial Wood Design: Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville, superkül inc | architect, Blackwell Bowick Partnership. The use of wood predominates in the building, designed with both the landscape and the agricultural architecture of southern Ontario in mind. The winery is clad in knotty cedar. Inside, production and retail spaces sit under a long, clear-span gabled roof. The clear span is achieved with exposed and carefully detailed black spruce glulam beams.

•Institutional Wood Design, less than $10 million. Native Child and Family Services Longhouse, Toronto, Levitt Goodman Architects, Blackwell Bowick Partnership. The form and materiality of the structure is derived explicitly from traditional longhouses where wood is the sole building material. In this case, the entire structure was completed with local cedar. The structure of the longhouse consists of a reciprocal frame arch, an ancient building technique derived from weave patterns which allows spans to be achieved with short members.

•Institutional Wood Design, More than $10 million. Art Gallery of Ontario, Transformation AGO, Toronto, Gehry International Inc., Halcrow Yolles. The strategic use of wood played a key part in helping to realize many of the building’s striking features. The strength of wood is most evident in its application as the supporting structure for the 600-foot Dundas façade, which is comprised of 1,800 glulam members.

The concept of utilizing Douglas Fir glulam to support the curtainwall was applied consistently throughout the feature areas of the building, including the skylight above Walker Court and full-height windows for the 30-foot-tall galleries of the new contemporary tower.

•Northern Ontario Excellence Award: Hôpital Géneral Mattawa General Hospital, Mattawa, Larocque Elder Architects Architectes Inc. and ANO Architects/Architectes Inc. in joint venture, Halsall Associates Ltd. The project pays tribute to the city’s rich logging history by its varied use of structural and non-structural wood components. Locally grown and supplied renewable wood materials are used. The design team said the project sets an example for other institutional projects on the cost-effective use of engineered wood products.

•Jury’s Choice Award: Rees, Simcoe and Spadina WaveDecks, WEST 8 + DTAH in joint venture, Halsall Associates Ltd. Collectively, this series of WaveDecks is intended to form the basis of a memorable identity for the Toronto waterfront, “in playful homage” to the rural cottage dock. The timber design allows the structure to achieve complex geometric forms without the need for additional cladding or finishes to make them publicly accessible. The glue-laminated structure and hardwood decking ensure superior durability in the harsh marine environment, while offering a warmer, more tactile experience than steel or concrete construction. Ultimately, the wooden structures celebrate and showcase the carpentry skills and craftsmanship of the construction team, in the spirit of traditional Canadian timber building.

Print | Email | Comment