Wood WORKS! Award Winners Announced: wood design solutions for diverse building types showcased

OTTAWA, Nov. 3, 2011 /CNW/ - An elite group of Ontario's leading architects, engineers, and project teams received Wood Design Awards at the 11^th annual Wood WORKS! awards celebration. The awards recognize people and organizations that, through design excellence and innovation, are advancing the use of wood in construction.

"Design professionals in Ontario are specifying wood in a wider variety of building types," said Marianne Berube, Wood WORKS! Ontario's Executive Director. "This is an exciting trend because the benefits of wood construction are so significant.  Increased wood use supports Ontario's second largest economic engine and has positive outcomes for forest dependent communities across the province ."

"Globally, design solutions that incorporate sustainably sourced wood products help us reduce our CO₂ emissions.  Since wood products actually store carbon, when we use wood in place of non-renewable materials that require large amounts of fossil fuels to produce, we greatly reduce the carbon footprint of any building."

"In addition to wood's environmental advantages, new products and advancements in manufacturing have ensured that today's wood products are stronger, smarter and more versatile than ever.   As a result, applications for wood products are almost unlimited and, through design innovation, architects and engineers can create larger wood buildings of diverse occupancies that meet or exceed the requirements for safety and performance.  It is our privilege to celebrate some of the best of these buildings each year through the Wood WORKS! Awards program."

Working with the design community, Wood WORKS! connects practitioners with resources related to the use of wood in commercial, industrial and institutional construction, assists in product sourcing, and delivers educational seminars and training opportunities.

"We are proud to honour people who, through their work with wood, enrich our built environment and lead the way for future excellence and innovation in wood design and building," concluded Berube.

Wood WORKS! is a national, industry-led initiative of the Canadian Wood Council that promotes the use of wood in commercial, industrial and institutional construction.

www.woodworksawards.com  •  www.wood-works.org

2011 Ontario Wood WORKS! Award Winners