Vancouver, BC – September 23, 2025 – The Canadian Wood Council is pleased to announce the winning projects of the 41st annual Wood Design & Building Awards program. This prestigious awards program recognizes and celebrates the outstanding work of architectural professionals from Canada and around the world for excellence in wood design and construction.

“The diversity and creativity in this year’s winning projects demonstrate how wood can connect people with nature,” says Martin Richard, Vice President of Communications and Market Development at the Canadian Wood Council (CWC). “These designs not only showcase wood’s versatility, but also create spaces that enrich daily life and support community well-being. They are high-performance solutions that respond to today’s urgent need for housing, schools, and community spaces.”

“It’s a delight each year to see the latest and greatest wood buildings nominated to our awards program and it’s a privilege to recognize the best projects from the impressive submissions we receive,” added Ioana Lazea, Senior Project Manager at CWC responsible for delivering the awards program. “This year’s competition drew a remarkable 140 entries. We are deeply grateful to our esteemed jurors for the significant effort they invested in reviewing each one and for their careful deliberations in selecting the winners.”

18 projects earned recognition from the Wood Design & Building Awards jury. The jurors for the Wood Design & Building Awards were:

• Omar Ghandi, Principal at Omar Ghandi Architects
• Jane Abbott, Partner at Abbott Brown Architects
• Alec Holser, Founding Principal at Opsis Architecture

14 additional projects were selected for recognition under the WoodWorks category of the Wood Design Awards programs which have regional competitions in BC, Ontario, and the Prairie provinces for projects located in those jurisdictions. The jurors for the WoodWorks Awards category were:

• Eric Karsh, Founding Partner of Equilibrium
• Brenda Izen, Founding Principal at Izen Architecture
• Carol Belanger, City Architect, Edmonton

In total, 38 projects from Canada and around the world were honoured at the Wood Design and Building Awards celebration hosted Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the Woodrise Conference in Vancouver, BC.

COMPLETE LIST OF AWARD-WINNING PROJECTS FOLLOWS:

Honor

• The Spirit Garden (Toronto, ON) | Gow Hastings Architects in collaboration with Two Row Architects
• Fraser Mills Presentation Centre (Coquitlam, BC) | Patkau Architects
• Pacific Northwest Residence (Washington State) | Cutler Anderson Architects
• Google Borregas (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) | Project Designer: MGA | Michael Green Architecture, Architect of Record: SERA Architects
• TRUMPF Education Center (Ditzingen, Germany) | Barkow Leibinger
• Dwelling on the Mountainside: Jiuceng Art Gallery (Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China) | Atelier Lu+Architects

Merit

• Vesterheim Commons (Decorah, IA, USA) | Snøhetta
• DogTrot Magnetawan (Magnetawan, ON) | Williamson Williamson
• Aiken Audubon Research Outpost (Chico Basin Ranch, CO, USA) | ColoradoBuildingWorkshop at CU Denver

Citation

• Walking Dunes (Amagansett, NY, USA) | Bates Masi + Architects
• Timbrelyn (Bethel, NY 12720, USA) | Adel Research Group (ARG)
• sʔitwənx Child Care (Kelowna, BC) | Public Architecture + Design
• Canadian Canoe Museum (Peterborough, ON) | Unity Design Studio
• Greenhill School, Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center (Addison, TX, USA) | Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
• Upper Canada College – Lindsay Boathouse (Toronto, ON) | VJAA Inc. (Lead Design Architect) | RDHA (Architect of Record)
• Winthrop Library (Winthrop, WA, USA) | Johnston Architects (Architect of Record) and Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects (Associate Architect)
• Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Headquarters (Toronto, ON) | Bucholz McEvoy Architects + ZAS Architects and Interiors
• MUMO (Museum of Motorcycle) (Puerto Octay, North Patagonia, Chile) | DRAA

Sansin Sponsored Award

• Google Borregas (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) | Project Designer: MGA | Michael Green Architecture, Architect of Record: SERA Architects

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Sponsored Awards

• Wahta’ elementary school (Wendake, QC) | DG3A Architecture
• Kreher Preserve & Nature Center Environmental Education Building (Auburn, AL, USA) | Leers Weinzapfel Associates Architects, Inc.

Western Red Cedar Sponsored Awards

• San Juan Islands Residence (Eastsound, WA) | Vandervort Architects
• The Granary at Southlands (Delta (Tsawwassen) – BC) | MOTIV Architects

Wood Preservation Sponsored Award

• Catchacoma Cottage (The Kawarthas, Municipality of Trent Lakes, ON) | Dubbeldam Architecture + Design

WoodWorks Ontario Wood Design Awards

• DogTrot Magnetawan (Magnetawan, ON) | Williamson Williamson
• Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) Headquarters and Multi-Tenant Complex (Toronto, ON) | Moriyama Teshima Architects
• Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Headquarters (Toronto, ON) | Bucholz McEvoy Architects + ZAS Architects and Interiors
• Upper Canada College – Lindsay Boathouse (Toronto, ON) | VJAA Inc. (Lead Design Architect) | RDHA (Architect of Record)
• 1120 Ossington (Toronto, ON) | mcCallumSather

WoodWorks BC Wood Design Awards

• Fraser Mills Presentation Centre (Coquitlam, BC) | Patkau Architects
• Adams Lake Health + Wellness Centre (Chase, BC) | Unison Architecture Ltd.
• Kin Park Pavilion and Ice Rink (Fort St. John, BC) | Public Architecture + Design
• sʔitwənx Child Care (Kelowna, BC) | Public Architecture + Design
• Point Grey House (Vancouver, BC) | Patkau Architects

WoodWorks Prairie Wood Design Awards

• F Residence (RM of Stanley, MB) | 1×1 architecture inc.
• Riel Construction Office, (Dugald, MB) | Republic Architecture Inc.
• Sam Centre (Calgary, AB) | Diamond Schmitt Architects
• G7 Summit – Interior Renovations (Kananaskis, AB) | 1×1 architecture

VIEW A VIDEO COMPILATION OF THIS YEAR’S WINNERS HERE: https://cwc.ca/WoodDesignandBuildingAwards2025/

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sarah Hicks
Communications Manager, Canadian Wood Council
1-705-796-3381  |  shicks@cwc.ca