Prairie Wood Design Awards 2018: Emma’s Picks

It is once again time for the Prairie Wood Design Awards! The 2018 winners will be announced March 13th and in preparation the Work Wild team has once again reviewed the nominees and selected our favorites. Below are my favourites from each of the five categories. In the coming weeks Ann and Catherine will post their selections as well.

Category: Recreational

Building: Elevation Place

Location: Canmore, Alberta

Designer: Gibbs Gage Architects 

Photography: Gibbs Gage Architects

I love how this building was designed to reflect the people of Canmore’s unique lifestyle by providing both residents and tourists a place to be active, be artistic, and come together as a community. The physical design was also chosen to represent Canmore’s beautiful scenery and rich history. Using wood and stone in the design highlights the surrounding forests and mountains, while the steel accents were chosen to reflect the town’s historical ties to the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Category: Commercial

Building: Raw:Almond Pop Up Restaurant

Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Designer: Joe Kalturnyk, Chad Connery, Jon Reid

Photography: Lindsay Reid

I absolutely love the concept of this building; the contrast between the unassuming exterior to the warm, magical interior is amazing! This pop-up restaurant is set up on top of the frozen Red and Assiniboine rivers and is made to look like a snow drift from the outside. Wood framing inside creates such a welcoming space, and the modular components can be set up in just a day with no power tools at all! The combination of wood and the warm lighting reminds me of the glow of a campfire.

Category: Residential

Building: Cabin on Lake Winnipeg

Location: Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba

Designer: Monteyne Architecture Work Inc.

Photography: Lindsay Ried, Click Studio

I chose this cabin because of how well it seems to blend into the natural surroundings, it is almost hard to tell where the cabin begins and ends. Linear wood panels on the exterior blend in with trees on the property and the use of floor to ceiling windows make the forest outside feel a part of the living space. The simplicity of the design also accentuates the natural beauty the wood used inside.

Category: Interior Wood Design Showcase

Building: Maples Chiropractic Clinic

Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Designer: 5468796 Architecture

Photography: 5468796 Architecture 

Maples Clinic is my choice for interiors because of how well the goal of creating a warm, organic, and wholesome space for healing is achieved. I love how simply they have used spruce planks throughout the space; using the planks in a simple way made the wood design even more impactful in my eyes. It is amazing how the use of wood can add so much warmth to a medical clinic, a space which is often cold and sterile.

Category: Institutional Wood Design

Building: University of Alberta ALES Atrium

Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Designer: DIALOG

Photography: Ian Grant Photography

I may be biased in my selection of the ALES atrium as I was able to spend time in this space myself as a student at the U of A! The designers did an amazing job of highlighting the uniqueness of the ALES faculty through the building. For example, using photovoltaic cells not just for sustainable energy but also to diffuse light into the room in a way similar to light moving through a forest canopy. Wood beams used in the space help add warmth while also highlighting the unique geometric form of the building. This shape was chosen to move water and snow off the building and direct it into a pond to manage the stormwater.

I am very much looking forward to seeing how my picks compare to the selections made by the rest of the Work Wild team. I am also looking forward to seeing the official selections made by the jury- they are the experts in wood design after all!

For more information on the Prairie Wood Design Awards, please visit wood-works.ca/alberta or contact Barbara Murray at bmurray@wood-works.ca.