Award Winners Reflect Nationwide Trends in Wood Building Design

WASHINGTON, February 5, 2020 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​​​​​​​Data showing a sharp rise in the use of innovative wood building systems was reinforced with today’s announcement from WoodWorks – Wood Products Council highlighting the winners of its 2020 U.S. Wood Design Awards.

“The WoodWorks award program celebrates excellence in wood building design, and excellent projects are often conceived and executed by people with a passion, not only for quality, but innovation,” said WoodWorks President and CEO, Jennifer Cover. “As a result, the winning projects are a kind of bellwether for market trends—such as growing interest in mass timber, hybrid projects that combine mass timber with light wood framing or other materials, panelization, and greater focus on sustainability, carbon footprint, and resilience. These are all things we’re seeing in the market that are also reflected in this year’s winning projects.”

For example, in addition to tracking mass timber buildings completed and in design, WoodWorks has seen a significant rise in requests for technical assistance, which is provided at no cost to project teams. “In 2015, our technical team assisted on a handful of mass timber projects. The number jumped to 159 in 2016—and 266 last year. You can see a parallel in many of the winning projects,” said Cover.

Nominations from across the country were evaluated by an independent jury that included:

·       Danny Adams, Principal and Design Lead, LS3P Associates – Charleston, SC

·       Marsha Maytum, Principal, LMS Architects – San Francisco, CA

·       Eric McDonnell, Principal, Holmes Structures – Portland, OR

·       Matt Shaw, Executive Editor, The Architect's Newspaper – New York, NY

Awards in 10 categories will be presented at Wood Design Symposiums across the country, beginning with the Texas Wood Design Symposium in Houston on February 25, 2020. Nine projects will also receive regional excellence awards.

Jury’s Choice:  First Tech Federal Credit Union ǀ  Hillsboro, OR

• Architect:  Hacker
• Structural Engineer:  Kramer Gehlen & Associates
• Contractor:  Swinerton

Multi-Family Wood Design:  Adohi Hall ǀ Fayetteville, AR

• Architect:  Leers Weinzapfel Associates; Mackey Mitchell Architects; Modus Studio (AOR)
• Structural Engineer:  Equilibrium Consulting; Engineering Consultants, Inc.
• Contractor:  Nabholz Construction

Commercial Mid-Rise:  111 East Grand ǀ   Des Moines, IA

• Architect:  Neumann Monson Architects
• Structural Engineer:  Raker Rhodes Engineering
• Contractor:  Ryan Companies

Commercial Low-Rise:  Redfox Commons ǀ  Portland, OR

• Architect:  LEVER Architecture
• Structural Engineer:  KPFF Consulting Engineers
• Contractor:  R&H Construction

Wood in Government Buildings:  Long Beach Civic Center Billie Jean King Main Library ǀ Long Beach, CA

• Architect:  SOM ǀ Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
• Structural Engineer:  SOM ǀ Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
• Contractor:  Clark Construction

Wood in Schools:  Arts and Technology Academy ǀ  Eugene, OR

• Architect:  Opsis Architecture; Rowell Brokaw Architects (AOR)
• Structural engineer:  catena consulting engineers
• Contractor:  Hyland Construction

Institutional Wood Design:  Oregon Conservation Center ǀ  Portland, OR

• Architect:  LEVER Architecture
• Structural Engineer:  KPFF Consulting Engineers
• Contractor:  Lease Crutcher Lewis

Green Building with Wood:  Oregon Zoo Education Center ǀ  Portland, OR

• Architect:  Opsis Architecture
• Structural Engineer:  catena consulting engineers
• Contractor:  Fortis Construction

Beauty of Wood:  Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park ǀ  Minneapolis, MN

• Architect:  HGA
• Structural Engineer:  HGA
• Contractor:  KALCON

Adaptable and Durable Wood Structures:  Julia Morgan Hall ǀ  Berkeley, CA

• Architect:  Siegel & Strain Architects
• Structural Engineer:  Bluestone Engineering
• Contractor:  James R. Griffin

901 East Sixth ǀ Austin, TX

• Architect:  TB/DS (Thoughtbarn/Delineate Studio)
• Structural Engineer:  Leap!Structures
• Contractor:  DCA Construction

CoǀLab ǀ Falls Church, VA

• Architect:  William McDonough + Partners
• Structural Engineer:  Staengl Engineering
• Contractor:  HITT Contracting

DPR Office ǀ Sacramento, CA

• Architect:  SmithGroup
• Structural Engineer:  Buehler Engineering
• Contractor:  DPR Construction

Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston ǀ Houston, TX

• Architect:  LakeǀFlato Architects; Kendall/Heaton Architects (AOR)
• Structural Engineer:  Cardno Haynes Whaley
• Contractor:  WS Bellows
• Wood Structure & Engineering Consultant:  StructureCraft Builders

Pike Place Marketfront ǀ Seattle, WA

• Architect:  The Miller Hull Partnership
• Structural Engineer:  Magnusson Klemencic Associates
• Contractor:  Sellen Construction

Rhode Island School of Design – North Hall ǀ Providence, RI

• Architect:  NADAAA
• Structural Engineer:  Odeh Engineers
• Contractor:  Shawmut Design and Construction

Sideyard ǀ Portland, OR

• Architect:  Skylab Architecture
• Structural Engineer:  catena consulting engineers
• Contractor:  Andersen Construction

The Continuum ǀ Lake City, SC

• Architect:  McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
• Structural Engineer:  Britt Peters & Associates
• Contractor:  Thompson Turner Construction

Tre Søstre ǀ Grand Marais, MN

• Architect:  Salmela Architect
• Structural Engineer:  Meyer Borgman Johnson
• Contractor:  Taiga Design + Build

For descriptions of the winning projects, visit the WoodWorks online gallery (https://www.woodworks.org/project-gallery) and select 2020 from the drop-down menu. Photos are available on request.

Contact: [email protected] ​

About WoodWorks

WoodWorks – Wood Products Council provides education and free technical support related to the design, engineering and construction of commercial and multi-family wood buildings in the U.S. A nonprofit staffed with architects, structural engineers, and construction experts, WoodWorks has the expertise to assist with all aspects of wood building design. For assistance with a project, visit www.woodworks.org/project-assistance or email [email protected].

Photo Credits:

• Jury’s Choice:  First Tech Federal Credit Union ǀ  Hillsboro, OR
• Architect:  Hacker
• Structural Engineer:  Kramer Gehlen & Associates
• Contractor:  Swinerton
• Photo Jeremy Bittermann

Source: WoodWorks - Wood Products Council