Award-Winning Sustainable Architecture

Real Cedar Honors Two Outstanding Projects with Top Prize 

The Canadian Wood Council recently announced the winners of the 38th annual Wood Design & Building Awards. As with previous years, the WRCLA was a proud sponsor with its own category for award-winning sustainable architecture. Only this time, the competition was too fierce to honor just one cedar-centric project with top prize. So, we selected two exceptional projects from two unique categories: residential and non-residential.

Drumroll please… watch video or read more to learn about these inspired projects.

The 2022 Real Cedar sponsorship award goes to Riverbend by CLB Architects and the Wii Gyemsiga Siwilaawksat Student Housing by hcma. Both firms are committed to innovative design that minimizes environmental impact. Accordingly, they use green building materials such as Real Cedar plays to reduce their carbon footprint.

“Wood construction is an avenue for delivering the beautiful, sustainable, high-performance buildings of today and tomorrow,” says said Andrew Bowerbank, Vice-President of Market Development for the Canadian Wood Council.

Images courtesy of Wood Design & Building Awards, Photographer: Bright Photography.

Hcma’s collaborate Process Produces Beautiful, Culturally Safe Student Housing

Wii Gyemsiga Siwilaawksat is a culturally supportive, student housing building for Coast Mountain College in Terrace, BC. From beginning to end, the entire design process was guided by Indigenous-led consultation. For example, the 3-storey, 40,500 square foot building is clad in Western Red Cedar, a species of wood revered by the First Nations for centuries.

“It felt appropriate for this sacred material to inform the building’s expression,” hcma stated in their submission.

Images courtesy of Wood Design & Building Awards, Photographer: Bright Photography.

Inside, a stunning array of Indigenous art is proudly displayed throughout the building including the central lobby space. This cedar-clad area acts as a modern Longhouse for gatherings and celebrations. The result is an inspired space that empowers Indigenous students to thrive in post-secondary education.

“A home away from home is vital for student success, and this new beautiful building provides comfortable spaces to live, engage with others and study,” explains Charlotte Guno, of the CMTN First Nations Council.

Images courtesy of Wood Design & Building Awards, Photographer: Matthew Millman Photography

CLB Architects Prove Once Again They are Masters of the Modern Ranch

Next up, the cedar-clad Riverbend Residence. This Jackson Hole, Wyoming project consists of a high-end custom house and guesthouse with modern aesthetics. Rich materials, intricate detailing, and expert craftsmanship lend it a museum quality finish. Thoughtful siting and panoramic windows are also key to this stunning design. Hence, the home’s dramatic landscape is the focal point.

To further connect structure to site, they installed a stunning cedar soffit/ceiling system. Thus, beautifully blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces.

“We chose Western Red Cedar because of its durability in the extreme Wyoming climate,” explains Eric Logan of CLB Architects, “and because our client expressed a desire for a warm color palette.”

The WRCLA would like to thank all the sustainably minded architects who submitted their innovate projects to the Real Cedar category.