Architects and engineers are exploring wood-based structural assemblies, and their outcomes are challenging previous notions of the material’s performance. Today, the Wood Products Council’s WoodWorks initiative, which focuses on nonresidential construction, announced the nine national and seven regional winners of its 2015 Wood Design Awards.
“Collectively, this year’s award winning projects celebrate the kind of innovative thinking that continues to expand the possibilities for wood use—and bring wood’s cost, sustainability and other advantages to a wider range of projects,” said Jennifer Cover, WoodWorks’ executive director, in a press release.
Below are this year’s national and regional winners. For more on each project, in the ARCHITECT Project Gallery, click the link on the project name.
Jury’s Choice: Live Oak Bank Headquarters, Wilmington, N.C.
This 36,500-square-foot low-rise structure features a timber frame and cypress exterior siding designed to weather to a silvery gray. Inside, southern yellow pine glulam beams, columns, and king post trusses frame the space, while glass partitions offer transparency throughout. Shaded terraces, walkways, and decks help to bridge the built and natural environments. Completed: March 2013 | Project team: LS3P Associates, architect; Woods Engineering, structural engineer; Clancy & Theys Construction, general contractor.
Institutional Wood Design: Jackson Hole Airport, Jackson, Wyo.
Exposed heavy-timber members support this 115,000-square-foot LEED Silver certified building, which also won a 2014 AIA Honor Award. Douglas fir columns anchor the space and are joined with steel connections to glulam beams that span the main hall. A queen post truss system was used to reduce the beams’ depth.
Completed: Phase one, December 2010; Phase two, ongoing | Project team: Gensler, architect; Martin/Martin, engineer; Wadman Corp., general contractor.
Wood in Educational Buildings: Indian Mountain Student Arts & Innovation Center, Lakeville, Conn.
A barn-like structure with tall ceilings to maximize views of the surrounding mountains was chosen for this project, which was conceived as a central meeting space for the campus. The interior wood frame relies on glulam beams with glulam columns providing lateral support for the curtainwall glazing. The 8,750-square-foot building also incorporates a salvaged-timber laminated flooring system. Completed: January 2014 | Project team: Flansburgh Architects, architect; Roome & Guarracino, structural engineer; United Construction and Engineering, general contractor.
Beauty of Wood: Stapleton Library, Staten Island, N.Y.
The exposed wood framing of this 7,500-square-foot library addition contrasts its urban surroundings. The architects hearken to the wood-lined Beaux Arts interior of the original Carnegie facility with glulam structural beams, roof decking, and posts. Multiple framed roof openings introduce natural light while the exposed wood’s variegated surface helps to manage acoustics. Completed: June 2013 | Project team: Andrew Berman Architect, architect; Gilsanz, structural engineer; Plaza Construction, general contractor.
Multistory Wood Design: N-Habit Belltown, Seattle
This modular, 49-unit project seeks to meet the city’s need for additional affordable housing. Situated atop a two-story concrete podium, the 42,925-square-foot, five-story structure uses a fire-treated Douglas fir frame for its exterior wall assemblies. The wood-framed components were fabricated off-site and assembled over the course of two weekends. Completed: June 2014 | Project team: Bushnaq Studio Architecture + Design, architect; DCI Engineers, structural engineer; Charter Construction, general contractor.
Wood in Government Buildings: Mojave Rivers Ranger Station, Acton, Calif.
The architects wanted to create a structure that would meld with the surrounding Mojave Desert while heeding its climate extremes and seismic demands. Inverted king post glulam trusses offer structural support for the 12,000-square-foot building while exterior wood trellises at high and low sun angles provide shade. The LEED Gold certified building, which uses FSC-certified wood, exceeds the state’s Title 24 energy-performance baseline by 33.6 percent. Completed: 2011 | Project team: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects, architect; Gregory P. Luth & Associates, structural engineer; Swinerton Builders, general contractor.
Green Building with Wood: Reveley Classroom Building at the University of Idaho, Mascow, Idaho
The project team locally sourced FSC- and Sustainable Forestry Initiative–certified framing lumber, cedar siding, and engineered wood products for its 2,130-square-foot educational space. Wood-based cellulose insulates the structure while exposed decking and glulam beams outside disperse sound. Completed: September 2014 | Project team: Patano Studio Architecture, architect; DCI Engineers, structural engineer; Quality Contractors, general contractor.
Commercial Wood Design, Industrial: Sauter Timber Production Facility, Rockwood, Tenn.
Unlike the metal buildings characteristic of typical mills, this 9,500-square-foot facility features a glulam moment frame that forms a 23-foot-high ceiling and supports heavy machinery. Cross-laminated timber walls and roof panels add strength while the use of FSC- and other certified wood contributes to the project's sustainability goals. Completed: September 2014 | Project team: Sauter Timber, architect; Grossman Bau, structural engineer; Botkin Construction, general contractor.
Commercial Wood Design, Office: Venture Capital Office Headquarters, Menlo Park, Calif.
This two-story, 24,999-square-foot headquarters for a clean-technology venture capital firm features 18 wood-and-steel modules that were fabricated off-site and mounted on a concrete podium. Wood is present in the LEED Silver certified project via the structural modules as well as exterior trellis and façade screens, and interior paneling and woodworking. The project’s interior won a 2014 AIA Honor Award.
Completed: June 2012 | Project team: Paul Murdoch Architects, architect; Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, structural engineer; Louis Ptak Construction, general contractor.
The following projects each received a Regional Excellence award.
Angeles National Forest Supervisor’s Office Building, Arcadia, Calif.
Completed: September 2013 | Project team: HMC Architects, architect; Thornton Tomasetti, structural engineer; PW Construction, general contractor.
Saint Edward Catholic Church, Keizer, Ore.
Completed: March 2014 | Project team: Di Loreto Architecture, architect; WDY, structural engineer; the Grant Company, general contractor.
Project:ARCHITECTURE, Provo Canyon, Utah
Completed: May 2014 | Project team: Integrated Technology in Architecture Center at the University of Utah, architect; Acute Engineering, structural engineer; Euclid Timber Frames, contractor.
SAC Federal Credit Union Headquarters, Papillion, Neb.
Completed: March 2014 | Project team: LEO A DALY, architect; Ginsburg, structural engineer; Meyers Carlisle Leapley Construction, general contractor.
Burr Burton Academy Mountain Campus, Peru, Vt.
Completed: August 2012 | Project team: Bensonwood, architect; Annette Dey, PE, structural engineer; Bensonwood, general contractor.
The Georgetown University Calcagnini Contemplative Center, Bluemont, Va.
Completed: October 2013 | Project team: Dynerman Architects, architect; McMullan & Associates, structural engineer; Howard Shockey & Sons/Walnutdale Building Co., general contractor.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro Dining Hall Renovation, Greensboro, N.C.
Completed: March 2014 | Project team: Gantt Huberman Architects, architect; Bulla Smith Design Engineering, structural engineer; Rogers Hardin Davis, general contractor.
