Winners of 2010 Western Red Cedar Architectural Design Awards

Six projects showcasing innovative ways of cedar in building construction and surface have recently been announced winners at the Western Red Cedar Architectural Design Awards. The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association sponsors the annual Architectural Design Awards “to recognize innovative design using one of the world’s most unique building materials, Western Red Cedar.”

Architects entered commercial, residential and other building projects that included community centers, medical facilities, university buildings, churches and private residences. Projects were judged by a three-member architect jury for their use of Western Red Cedar to reinforce consistent interior and exterior themes in boosting the overall design.

Winners of the second edition of the Architectural Design Awards were:

Combs Point Residence, Ovid, N.Y. – A center of activity and quiet retreat for a family that treasures life on the lake, Combs Point is a series of Western Red Cedar wood clad buildings that stretches through a forested glen leading to the head of a waterfall. Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

Bernal Park Restroom Building, Pleasanton, Calif. – Designed to fit seamlessly into a picturesque park setting, the building appears elegant and residential in scale while at the same time is durable and enduring. The building is wrapped in horizontal cedar siding boards covered with a semi-transparent stain and graffiti coating. Architect: Mark Cavagnero Associates.

Wood Block Residence, Mercer Island, Wash. – A major reconstruction of a 1962 residence, the redesign roots the house to its sloping wooded site and provides a protective shelter for family life. Western Red Cedar tongue-and-grove planks clad the existing painted Hemlock ceiling to bring appropriately natural warmth to an otherwise modern pallet of materials that includes aluminum, steel and plaster. Architect: Chadboure + Doss Architects.

Research Medical Complex of Barcelona – This elliptical building on the promenade along Barcelona’s seafront features a double-skin façade that protects it from direct solar radiation while still allowing light to pass. More than 44,000 red cedar slats make up the outer protective skin and create its unique geometric appearance. Architects: Albert de Pineda Álvarez and Manuel Brullet Tenas.

Pilot Dwelling Het Entreeheuis, Netherlands – An entrance house located at the gateway of the Groote Scheere country estate built from sustainable and lightweight red cedar coated with a black oil color. The roof opens up to the landscape to become a private outdoor space. It is the first of 10 houses to be built at the estate. Architects: Bureau B+B.

First People’s House, Victoria, B.C. – This multi-purpose education facility at the University of Victoria, B.C. is the only major wood building on campus. The post-and-beam structure inspired by the Coast Salish longhouse is clad in clear Western Red Cedar and houses a student union, Elders lounges, study areas, classrooms and ceremonial spaces. The registered LEED project targets gold. Architects: Alfred Waugh Architect.