Two new awards announced for Wood WORKS! BC 2010 awards gala

VANCOUVER , Jan. 15 /CNW/ - Wood WORKS! BC has announced two new awards to be presented at the upcoming sixth annual Wood Design Awards gala evening. The Premier's Wood Champion Award and the Innovation Award are two new categories added to recognize leadership and innovation in wood use. The high profile annual awards gala celebrates excellence in structural and architectural uses of wood and provides an opportunity for architects, engineers, building designers, builders and project owners to showcase their projects. The awards gala will be held on Monday March 29th at the Fairmont Waterfront, Vancouver . The call for nominations closes on Thursday, February 11 .

The new Premier's Wood Champion Award will be presented to an individual or organization demonstrating advocacy in the use of wood in construction in BC or abroad, or has contributed significantly to the selection of wood in projects that demonstrate innovation of design with wood or the use of wood as a sustainable, climate-friendly building project. The Innovation Award, sponsored by FP Innovations, will recognize creative and innovative approaches in the use of wood in building design, product design and/or processes. The award will be presented to an individual or firm that demonstrates "thinking outside the box" using wood.

Jury members for this year's Wood Design Awards are Kent Fargey, president, Western Archrib; Brian Hemmingway , Brian Hemmingway Architect Ltd. West Vancouver ; Dr. Robert Kozak , Professor, Forestry Faculty, University of British Columbia; Oliver Neumann , Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia; and Thomas Williamson , P.E., Managing Partner, T. Williamson - Timber Engineering LLC.

"Architects, designers, engineers, technologists and builders are embracing wood and wood products in ways we've never seen before - both architecturally and structurally," explains Mary Tracey , executive director of Wood WORKS! BC. "We are proud and pleased to open up two new categories which will provide avenues to honour innovation and advocacy of wood use." Other categories include Residential; Green Building; Multi-Unit Residential; Commercial; Institutional less than $10 M; Institutional greater than $10 M; Western Red Cedar; Interior Beauty Design; Architect and Engineer.

"The timing for these new categories is opportune, especially in light of renewed interest and a renaissance in wood use in all sectors," explains Ms. Tracey . "In the public sector, we have the BC government's new Wood First Act, which requires provincially-funded projects to use wood as the primary construction material. In the private sector, we have a change in BC's building code, which means we're now seeing six-storey wood frame buildings under construction. Wood is in demand everywhere because its use makes good sense from an economic and aesthetic point of view, and also from an environmental point of view, since wood is the most sustainable, natural, renewable and climate-friendly building material on earth."

"We encourage building and design professionals to consider the different award categories and to submit nominations on behalf of those whose efforts and accomplishments merit recognition," concludes Ms. Tracey . "We're always impressed with the nominations which, time and time again, demonstrate wood's strength, versatility and beauty. We look forward to recognizing the best of the best projects in BC." The Wood WORKS! BC awards program encourages self-nominations and multiple submissions. All nominees will be invited to attend the gala awards dinner on March 29th at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver .

Wood WORKS! BC 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. Through workshops, seminars and case studies, Wood WORKS! provides education, training and technical expertise to building and design professionals involved with commercial, institutional and industrial construction projects. For the past 11 years, Wood WORKS! BC has facilitated practical, efficient, versatile and cost-effective building and design solutions through the use of wood.

For further information: and nomination forms, visit the Wood WORKS! BC website www.wood-works.ca or by calling Lorna Malone at 1-877-929-9663 (ext. 4); Media contact: Mary Tracey, Executive Director, Wood WORKS! BC 1-877-929-9663 (1)