Northern Ontario architects made a strong showing at this year’s annual WoodWORKS! awards gala. A total of five projects were nominated for the Northern Ontario Excellence award, each demonstrating a commitment to wood as a building material and architectural feature.
Thunder Bay architectural firm Kuch Stephenson Gibson Malo Architects & Engineer received a nomination for the design of George Jeffrey Children’s Centre. The Thunder Bay project showcases the beauty and versatility of wood. The 7.5 million dollar project features a wood frame construction as well numerous architectural features celebrating wood.
"People aren’t used to seeing a project of that scale done in wood, they automatically assume it has to be done in non-combustible construction and it doesn’t." said Michelle Gibson of Kuch Stephenson Gibson Malo Architects & Engineers. "It was one of the most recent projects in the area that fully embraced the use of wood as a construction method and incorporated sustainable building practices."
The architects wanted to capitalize on wood’s soothing, comforting and warm nature as much as possible in the construction. "It’s used on the interior and exterior and used as an aesthetic compliment instead of just a box." Gibson said "it makes it more vibrant because of the clients and with the children that are coming through the center we wanted it to be more lively, not sedate"
The design features an open atrium style space that in Gibson’s words celebrates and exposes all the natural features and abilities of the material. "We’ve left it in its natural state and allowed weather and light to work on it’s surfaces, colours and textures.
Beyond aesthetics and cost effectiveness the choice of wood as a primary material held other benefits.
"The project itself incorporates a lot of energy efficient design principles that work well with wood." Gibson said "For instance, we were able to increase the amount of insulation in our exterior walls and roof to provide a higher R value which reduces building operating costs."
The firm continues to use wood as a major component in their buildings. Their next project is the Atikokan municipal office which features wood frame construction.
Jean Larocque of North Bay’s Larocque Elder Architects has his own philosophy when it comes to building with wood. "Our philosophy in this office has always been one to live lightly on the land that we have borrowed form future generations and to design buildings in such a way that you can actually deconstruct your architecture one day and reuse the building components elsewhere one day if needed."
That philosophy is evident in the design of the Mattawa General Hospital and it’s heavy reliance on wood as a building material. The hospital was another nominee in the Northern Ontario Excellence category and it’s unique character and the way the building interfaces with its natural context are what Larocque thinks won the project a nomination.
"When you think hospital you don’t think wood; you think stainless steel, concrete and glass. You think of a much more institutional palette of materials. Wood is probably the last thing that comes to your mind, so the use of wood in a hospital environment was selected in an attempt to de-institutionalize the institution, in order to create a humane environment for healing." Larocque said.
The Larocque and the LEA/ANO joint venture team made an effort to keep as much of the wood construction exposed as possible. In the main foyer there are large glulam beams and cedar veneered plywood ceilings. On the exterior there is wood batten siding, decking and solar screens..
"There is a lot of mill work and nice architectural wood details throughout the facility" Larocque said "but also what is not seen is that the entire framing of the upper level, the main floor and the roof structure is all constructed with engineered lumber."
Already a proponent of wood construction, Laroque had little doubt that wood was the right material for the Mattawa General Hospital. "Wood was the natural choice for that building especially for Mattawa, which has a rich history, a deeply rooted culture founded on the importance of the forest industry and the primordial role it continues to play in that community" Larocque said.
This year’s Northern Ontario excellence award went to the Dryden Regional Training and Cultural Centre. The focus on wood in the buildings construction is meant to reflect Dryden’s history. Wood was specified as a material for all structural and architectural elements in recognition of the area’s paper mill and wood products industry.
The principle architect on the project, Ahsanul Habib of Thunder Bay’s Habib architects feels the project was recognized because the use of wood is showcased throughout the structure.
"The use of laminate glass allows the inside to be visible from the outside and the outside visible from within" Habib said.
Habib feels that the centre attracts attention because of its unique design.
"It’s different looking, it’s a centre for celebration and the design reflects that. Wood was mostly used throughout the building and is very visible and very showy. The intention was to provide a showcase for the quality and opportunity of wood."◊