Dijon, France April 13th, 2018 – Russell Acton, Principal at Acton Ostry Architects, was presented with a press award for the Brock Commons Tallwood House project as part of the International Wood Construction Press Awards. The first of its kind, the press awards were selected by several publication editors from around the world. Theresa Rogers, Editor of the Wood Design & Building magazine, was part of the hand-selected jury and submitted the Brock Commons project for consideration.
Currently the tallest mass timber building in the world, Brock Commons is home to over 400 students who enjoy its central location, spectacular views and unique building features on the University of British Columbia campus. Brock Commons was chosen for an award because the jury felt that the project represented an architectural milestone which showcases new uses for wood in multi-storey wood construction and architecture. Vancouver’s Acton Ostry Architects designed the building in collaboration with structural engineer Fast + Epp, tall wood advisor Architekten Hermann Kaufmann of Austria, and Structurlam in Penticton, B.C., which provided the prefabricated wood components.
“We are very pleased that Brock Commons Tallwood House is being honoured with this inaugural award, as it signals that the international press recognizes that, to be truly environmentally meaningful, mass wood structures must be incorporated into buildings of all types and sizes, from the audacious to the everyday—whether the wood is exposed or not,” explained Russel Acton. “It will be the continued evolution of straight forward, economical, extraordinarily-ordinary mass wood buildings, such as Tallwood House, that will be the foundation upon which mass wood will make a genuine and meaningful contribution to the future sustainability of cities worldwide.”
The Wood Design & Building Magazine is a publication of the Canadian Wood Council with North American distribution. The magazine also awarded Brock Commons with the Jury’s Choice Award for Technical Innovation as part of the 2017 Wood Design & Building Awards program.
“Advanced construction technologies and modern mass timber products are making building tall with wood a viable option that is gaining traction and appeal from design and construction communities who face growing pressures to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings,” explained Etienne Lalonde, Vice President Market Development for the Canadian Wood Council. “Wood product-based construction remains a great solution to these challenges as it is a renewable building material, originating from sustainably managed forests in Canada.”
