The Wood Design Awards 2004: A North American Program of Architectural Excellence

Debbie Feisst is the reference/Internet resources librarian in the
Information Services Division of the Edmonton Public Library.

The Wood Design Awards recognize excellence in North American wood
architecture. The awards are open to new and remodelled residential and
non-residential projects and interiors and are juried by award-winning
architects and design educators from the United States and Canada.

Of the nearly 200 submissions in 2004, 12 projects each received either
an Honor, a Merit, or a Citation Award. These winners represented the
best North American architectural design as challenges to
“conventional thinking about the construction and architectural uses
of wood.” The projects are featured in this book, which is lavishly
illustrated with full-colour photographs and technical drawings.

Each project begins with an interesting description, followed by a
brief statement from the jury explaining why the project was chosen.
Specifications for such things as framing, exterior, interior, and
door/window materials are included. In several cases, photos show the
project’s construction and assembly. The client, architects, and any
consultants, engineers, or contractors are then identified.

Some of the more interesting projects include the Yin Yu Tang House
(aka the House of Plentiful Shelter), a 200-year-old merchant’s house
from southeast China that was disassembled, shipped to the United
States, and reassembled at a museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Also
noteworthy is a series of 64 custom-designed historical wooden homes in
a housing division in Minnesota’s oldest town. Two Canadian projects
received Citation Awards: a garden pavilion in Toronto and Minton Hill
House, a private residence in North Hatley, Quebec.