A group of associations whose efforts helped engineer changes to the Ontario Building Code to permit six-storey wood-frame construction in the province has received this year’s Wood Champion Award.
"The strong partnership and combined voice (of the associations) … helped code changes become a priority for the Ontario government and key stakeholder groups," Wood WORKS! said in a release.
The building code changes come into effect Jan.1.
The group consists of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
The building industry has long advocated for code changes to permit six-storey wood-frame buildings. In May 2013, a BILD-commissioned report was released by the associations outlining the planning and economic rationale for such changes.
The report, Unlocking the Potential for Mid-Rise Buildings: Six Storey Wood Structures, was authored by former City of Toronto Chief Planner Paul Bedford.
It showed that potential development opportunities that are well-served by existing infrastructure and transit could be unlocked with the approval of six-storey mid-rise buildings helping to meet the demand of the region’s increasing population.
In addition, BILD and RESCON commissioned a complementary report that investigated fire safety issues related to an increased use of combustible material in construction.
The study found that the number of fire incidents does not increase just because buildings have more combustible material.
The Wood Champion Award was presented Nov. 12 at the 14th annual Ontario Wood WORKS! awards celebration.
Wood WORKS! also cited the support provided by AMO’s executive board, and in particular, Kenora Mayor David Canfield and Alan Spacek, mayor of Kapuskasing.
This year’s Engineer Wood Advocate Award went to Blackwell, a structural engineering firm whose work is considered synonymous with wood design.
Wood WORKS! said dozens of wood design award-winning projects have Blackwell listed as the engineer of record including six projects that were nominated this year.
The 2014 Architect Wood Advocate Award went to ZAS Architects. This award recognizes an individual architect or architectural firm that contributes consistently to the selection of wood in projects, overcomes objections to the use of wood and leads the way for future projects in wood.
"This year’s winning firm has used wood as a key structural element in many projects over the years," Wood WORKS! said.
The list includes three large institutional/commercial buildings that were nominated this year alone.
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