Choose Your Language

The VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, British Columbia, was founded in 1971; doors opened to the public in 1975. By the year 2000, two existing buildings, the Floral Hall and the Garden Pavilion, were seeing much wear and the Garden’s entrance needed higher visibility. There was also a desire to attract more visitors and reach out to a younger demographic. Changes were needed. In keeping with existing buildings on the site which were built of heavy timber construction, any new building would also use a wood-based construction system. It seemed the most appropriate choice for a natural garden setting.

The Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre (Education Centre) was planned and built to educate residents of the Regional Municipality of York about the importance of natural resources and forest ecosystems. The Regional Municipality of York, located on the Oak Ridges Moraine between Toronto and Lake Simcoe, includes the York Regional Forest, which is internationally recognized as a leader in site restoration and forest management, and is the first public forest in Canada to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Constructed of wood and accented with stone, the Education Centre reflects the materials of the surrounding forest. The use of wood in the design was integral to the building’s performance and appropriate to its function as a forest education centre.

Situated adjacent to Toronto, Markham, Ontario is a fast-growing community with a burgeoning need for recreational facilities. To help meet this demand, the Angus Glen Community Centre and Library was designed to provide a first-class recreational experience for one area of Markham. The centre is situated on a 6.5 hectare (16 acre) site (Figure 1) and includes two skating rinks, a gymnasium, an Aquatics Centre, change rooms, multi-purpose rooms, and a district Library. The building has been enthusiastically endorsed by the public, with huge demand for the various swimming programs, hockey leagues and community clubs. In its first year, the building attracted 1.2 million visitors with demand for all activities far exceeding initial projections. The Library is but one example of this success, breaking all records for Library visits in Markham with an average 11,000 users per week. Much of the architectural appeal of the centre can be attributed to the use of wood as the key structural material in the Aquatics Centre, Library, the main entrances and ‘main street’ corridors, and decoratively in several other locations. The glued-laminated (glulam) roof structure, especially the one in the Aquatics Centre, has resulted in numerous inquiries from passers-by and visiting municipal officials interested in replicating the success of the Angus Glen Community Centre and Library in their own municipalities.

The City of Armstrong, British Columbia and its neighbouring Township of Spallumcheen are situated between the sunny, rolling Okanagan Valley and the cooler, forested Shuswap Valley. (The name Spallumcheen is derived from the First Nations term meaning “beautiful valley.”) Until recently, indoor skating activities for the 10,000 city and township residents took place at a 55 year-old facility. In the spring of 2004, a design team was retained to undertake a feasibility analysis and develop preliminary designs for a new multiuse facility, anchored by an NHL-sized ice surface, to be situated on the Armstrong Fairgrounds (Figure 1). The facility’s proximity to the existing swimming pool, skateboard park and baseball diamonds create a recreational area that will serve the needs of the community for many years to come. Sixty-two parking stalls are located beside the facility and additional parking is available at the adjacent Fairgrounds for special events.

The Town of Banff is located in Banff National Park, Canada’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to over 8,700 residents and greets more than three million visitors from around the world each year. Constructed in 1958, the town’s recreation centre was in dire need of improvement—the roof of the curling rink was considered to be deficient, the hockey rink locker rooms were no longer adequate, the ice refrigeration piping system needed replacement, and additional skating space was needed. The solution was a combination of demolition and reconstruction, refurbishment, and new construction. Completed in 2011 to the LEED® Silver standard, the redeveloped Banff Recreation Centre has a new curling rink, a refurbished hockey arena, a new NHL-sized hockey arena, and new meeting rooms, lounges and a concourse. The new construction uses wood and glass to provide views of the mountains, while providing superior thermal performance.

CentrePlace Manitoba was commissioned by the Province of Manitoba, with a goal of creating a temporary Olympic pavilion that represented the energy of the province and its people while reinforcing its commitment to sustainability. Designed as a dynamic, uniquely Manitoban architectural statement that transcends the “white fabric tent”, the 232 m² (2500 square foot) pavilion was initially showcased at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Games as both an interactive exhibit space and as a venue for business and cultural receptions. The design concept was initiated through a visioning session in June 2009 where Manitobans from diverse backgrounds came together to discuss what best represented the province they called home. The recurring themes drawn from this session gave the design team their starting point of creating an inviting space that drew upon the spirit and nature of the people of Manitoba. The simple contrast of wood and light became the basis for the creation of a pavilion that would become a beacon, welcoming visitors through a generous front porch and an oversized pivoting door. The design team met client design objectives by making a number of strategic decisions to ensure that the project would showcase the province’s commitment to sustainability and provide a legacy building that would serve beyond the pavilion’s initial five-week purpose. One of the key objectives was to ensure Universal Design and Access. To achieve all these design requirements, CentrePlace Manitoba had to: utilize Manitoba labour and regional materials offer an interactive exhibit space showcasing Manitoba’s unique culture be efficient in material use and energy consumption be compact, transportable, and 100% reusable at a future site favour passive systems over dedicated ones

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) was founded in 1900 as the Art Museum of Toronto. In 1919 it became the Art Gallery of Toronto and in 1966, took on its present name. The original gallery was a home (The Grange) built around 1817, located on the south side of the AGO facing Grange Park (Figure 1). In fall 2008, the Art Gallery of Ontario received wide acclaim when its recent renovation and addition, designed by Frank Gehry, was opened to the public. The work involved the renovation of existing spaces and the addition of 9,016 m2 (92,000 ft.2) of new floor space. The renovation and addition to the AGO is notable for several reasons. First, the design needed to unify and enhance previous constructions done in 1918, 1929, the 1970s and the 1980s. The design team made extraordinary use of structural and decorative wood elements to achieve this goal, as well as to lure, calm, entice and amaze visitors. In addition, the AGO needed to remain functional for prolonged periods during the construction process. Finally, the wood design, fabrication and erection was very complex. In the words of Bill Downing of Structurlam Products Ltd., the glulam supplier, in reference to the Galleria Italia portion of the AGO, “This is the most complex wood structure in North America.”

The Métis Crossing grounds sit on a 512-acre site – river lot titles from the original Métis settlers to the region in the late 1800s – along the North Saskatchewan River, just outside Smoky Lake, Alberta (about 120 km northeast of Edmonton). As the first major Métis cultural interpretive centre in the province, it is a premier destination for Métis cultural education and public gatherings. The Cultural Gathering Centre site is bordered by Victoria Trail (north), an access road to the existing barn (west), the riverbank (south) and a zipline along an existing ravine (east). Camping, guided tours and other activities are hosted on the property; the facility is open year-round. A boutique lodge is under construction and will accommodate 40 families by the fall of 2021. The new Cultural Gathering Centre provides over 10,000 sq.ft. of gathering spaces, meeting rooms, classrooms and interpretive spaces. Designed to seat over 350 people indoors, it is an ideal venue for weddings and large gatherings, such as corporate retreats. The expansive 2,600-sq.ft. deck and canopy on the south side provides stunning views of the river valley. Timber was a natural choice for the primary structural material, given its long history of use in traditional Métis construction practices. In keeping with the structure’s connection to its heritage, the building was designed by Métis architect Tiffany Shaw-Collinge, from Manasc Isaac Architects, now Reimagine Architects.

The Town of Oakville selected an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method for the design and construction of a new 11,450 ft2 (1064 m2) fire station. Design objectives for Oakville Fire Station 8 (OFS) specified that the building should promote staff retention, optimize efficiencies and layout flexibility, and incorporate appropriate and durable construction materials and building systems. The new facility was required to consider life cycle costs and be easy to operate and maintain. Solutions provided by the design team were innovative and cost efficient, providing value to the town. The project pursued sustainable construction methodologies to mitigate climate risk and achieve the LEED silver certification target. The layout and design of the fire station, utilizes space efficiently, accommodating two full fire crews, two captains, two fire trucks and storage space for spare fire apparatus.

The City of Timmins has a population of 45,000 but due to its location in northeastern Ontario, is a regional service centre for 100,000 people. It had become obvious that two major community services were in drastic need of improvement. The existing library, built in 1921, had served long and well but needed more space to provide a stimulating learning environment and more room for new technology so vital for engaging young people. The Canadian Mental Health Coalition, providing a range of social services for the community, needed more space to adequately provide assistance in the region. The forest products sector is a vital part of the heritage, culture and economy of Timmins. For this reason, the City of Timmins wished, wherever economically justifiable, to incorporate wood products into the structure and appearance of the Library. In addition, there were obvious benefits to combining the library with the needs of the Coalition Centre offices of the Canadian Mental Health Coalition, funded by the Province of Ontario, and agreement was reached on combining these two buildings. The Coalition Centre has been named the Judy A. Shanks Integrated Services Building. The resulting landmark facility (Figure 1) is centrally located in Timmins, and with ample parking and barrier-free access, welcomes all the city’s and region’s residents.

Sudbury, Ontario, located at the edge of a large geological structure known as the Sudbury Basin (a 1.85-billion-year-old meteorite impact crater), is home to Canada’s largest mining and smelting complex. By the 1970s, decades of mining and smelting nickel, copper and iron had reduced some 10,000 hectares of the surrounding area to desolation and had damaged watercourses for miles around. Sudbury is still a rich mining centre, but, as a result of a 90 % reduction in emissions and aggressive land reclamation, it has become a world centre for environmental science issues related to mining. Working for years from four cabins, the Cooperative Freshwater Ecology Unit – a research joint venture involving Laurentian University, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources – needed a new home to expand its specialized research into the protection, remediation, and restoration of freshwater lakes and ecosystems. The resulting Vale Living with Lakes Centre for Freshwater Restoration vastly increases the Cooperative’s research capabilities. The major funders of the project included Industry Canada (Knowledge and Infrastructure Program), Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities, Vale – a global mining company, FedNor, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Research Fund, and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. The Centre provides researchers and technicians access to laboratories, classrooms, offices, environmental bays and a watershed restoration facility. At the Centre, researchers examine long-term effectiveness of pollution reduction, and how a damaged lake ecosystem is able to dynamically heal itself over time. As well as being a centre of excellence for critically important ecological research, the Vale Living with Lakes Centre is an extraordinary building with an exceptionally low environmental footprint. The project makes extensive use of wood products harvested and manufactured close to Sudbury, including structural, framing and decorative wood products.

Although there has been a Korean Christian community in Edmonton for more than 20 years, until the completion of this church it conducted its services and other operations from rented accommodation. The new church is located in an industrial park, in the southeast quadrant of the city, on a site purchased from the City of Edmonton. This building constitutes the first phase of a two phase project that will eventually also include a community centre.