2019 Wood Design Awards recognizes innovation and leadership in advancing wood use

Inspired architecture and innovative structural engineering using wood in a remarkable diversity of building types, sizes and purposes were in the spotlight at the 15th annual 2019 Wood Design Awards in BC, sponsored by Wood WORKS! BC.

More than 400 distinguished architects, structural engineers, developers, project teams together with industry sponsors and guests, gathered this evening to celebrate excellence in contemporary wood design and building. The annual awards event at the Vancouver Convention Centre recognizes innovation and leadership in advancing wood use in design and building while honoring structural and architectural achievement using wood.

There were 103 nominations in 14 categories from many locations in BC as well as the US and Asia, with international projects in China, Korea, and Tajikistan.

“Over the last 15 years of the Wood Design Awards, and through involvement in hundreds of projects, Wood WORKS! BC has been privileged to observe remarkable leaps forward in wood building and design in BC. The advances have been truly transformative. We’re seeing much larger, taller, and more complex structures and new building types that have been made possible with wood product research and development, advanced engineering and construction practices. The bold visionaries and early adopters in the BC design community have made BC a global leader in wood design and construction. The leading designers and builders with us here this evening are the agents of change needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century in our urban built environment. They are using wood to enhance speed of construction, reduce costs and deliver improved building performance with a lower carbon impact. Their passion and ingenuity with wood is evident, and every year they amaze us by exploring new frontiers in building and design using wood.”

Lynn Embury‐Williams, executive director of Wood WORKS! BC