VANCOUVER, Sept. 18, 2013 /CNW/ - A passion and appreciation for wood use in the building and design of local government projects was celebrated today at the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention in Vancouver, as Wood WORKS! BC recognized winners of the 2013 Community Recognition Awards. The awards are presented annually to local governments that have been exemplary advocates for wood. This may be demonstrated through the specification of wood in a community project and/or through visionary initiatives that work toward building a community culture of wood.
The 2013 recipients are:
AVICC -- Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities: Salt Spring Island Library, Ganges - Capital Regional District
AKBLG -- Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments: Kuskanax Creek Footbridge, Nakusp - Village of Nakusp
NCLGA -- North Central Local Government Association: Municipal RCMP Building, Prince George - City of Prince George
SILGA -- Southern Interior Local Government Association: Glenmore Administration Building, Kelowna - City of Kelowna
LMLGA -- Lower Mainland Local Government Association: North Vancouver City Hall, North Vancouver - City of North Vancouver
"We congratulate these communities for demonstrating leadership and vision by embracing wood in their local projects," stated Mary Tracey, Executive Director, Wood WORKS! BC. "Their projects showcase excellence in wood building and design, as well as an appreciation for the strength, beauty and versatility of wood, making local government projects better, and our communities stronger." She continued, "B.C.'s local governments want to use wood for many reasons, including the desire to build more sustainable communities and to realize the significant socio-economic benefits. They also want their public buildings to tell their story. Wood does that, as there is a strong historical connection to wood in B.C., bringing pride to towns and cities, and leaving a legacy for its citizens. By choosing wood as the primary building material, they are also helping secure prosperity for all of B.C. and the many communities which depend on forestry."
Wood products and systems fit an array of local government project types and applications. They also provide significant advantages from fire and seismic hazards, and wood buildings can be retrofitted for new uses and updated to new design styles. "Advances in engineered timber building materials and systems have also led to more affordable buildings, which is appealing to local governments who want to make the most of scarce building budgets," explained William Billups, Technical Advisor, Wood WORKS! BC.
"Wood WORKS! BC can help local governments specify structural and architectural wood products for their building projects which will help them realize a lower carbon footprint, lower construction costs, and warm, beautiful and human-centred environments in which people thrive," he concluded.
Wood WORKS! BC is a recognized resource to assist B.C. communities with the "build with wood" requirements on publicly-funded projects, and its expertise, training and education is available free-of-charge.
Ms. Tracey also noted that this year the province reached and surpassed the milestone of 50 local governments adopting Wood First commitments in support of the province's Wood First Act, which requires provincially-funded projects to use wood as the primary building material within the B.C. Building Code. "This 50th commitment represents more than 1 million people in the province who live in areas with Wood First commitments, demonstrating a burgeoning wood culture in B.C. as we continue to build more beautiful and sustainable communities."
BACKGROUND:
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. Through workshops, seminars and case studies, Wood WORKS! provides education, training and technical expertise to building and design professionals and local governments involved with commercial, institutional and industrial construction projects throughout B.C.. For the past 15 years, Wood WORKS! BC has facilitated practical, efficient, versatile and cost-effective building and design solutions through the use of wood -- the most sustainable, natural and renewable building material on Earth.
Notable projects with Wood WORKS! BC's involvement include the international award-winning Richmond Oval - the largest of the 2010 Winter Olympics venues. Wood WORKS! BC was also involved with the Vancouver Convention Centre, and has also worked extensively with municipalities on projects ranging from fire halls to arenas to recreation centres.
Image with caption: "AVICC - Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities: Salt Spring Island Library, Ganges - Capital Regional District. Photo credit: Capital Regional District (CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130918_C7768_PHOTO_EN_30916.jpg
Image with caption: "AKBLG - Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments: Kuskanax Creek Footbridge, Nakusp - Village of Nakusp. Photo credit: Rory McLeod, courtesy: Madden Timber Construction, Nakusp, BC. (CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130918_C7768_PHOTO_EN_30912.jpg
Image with caption: "NCLGA - North Central Local Government Association: Municipal RCMP Building, Prince George - City of Prince George. Photo credit: Wood WORKS! BC. (CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130918_C7768_PHOTO_EN_30911.jpg
Image with caption: "SILGA - Southern Interior Local Government Association: Glenmore Administration Building, Kelowna - City of Kelowna. Photo credit: Courtesy: CEI Architecture (CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130918_C7768_PHOTO_EN_30910.jpg
Image with caption: "LMLGA - Lower Mainland Local Government Association: North Vancouver City Hall, North Vancouver - City of North Vancouver. Courtesy: Wood WORKS! BC (CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130918_C7768_PHOTO_EN_30909.jpg
Image with caption: "Mary Tracey, Executive Director of Wood WORKS! BC (CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130918_C7768_PHOTO_EN_30950.jpg
SOURCE: Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC
Mary Tracey, Executive Director -- Wood WORKS! BC 1.877.929.9663 (1), Cell: 250.864.1344
For high resolution images, please contact:
Maureen McLaughlin
Communications Advisor
Wood WORKS! BC | Canadian Wood Council
Tel: 1-877-929-9663 ext: 7
[email protected]
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