We are excited to announce that our design for North Vancouver’s City Hall has been awarded one of twelve Governor General’s Medals in Architecture for 2014. This award is given out every two years by the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada; it is the highest accolade given to an architectural project in Canada.

Our design for the City Hall expansion and renovation, which was completed in 2013, is an expressive showcase for the innovative use of wood in buildings. It showcases rapidly renewable wood sourced from sustainable forest practices that were used to dramatically reduce the greenhouse gas and energy footprint of the building’s structure.

The atrium roof structure is built of cross laminations made up of large format Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL), an innovation that is first of its kind, which spans 32 feet each and interlocks to make a 220-foot long atrium. These panels are made of aspen, a rapidly renewable wood with a 10-12 year growth cycle, and were pre-fabricated and erected on site; we believe these types of solutions are an important approach to sustainable building.

“It is a place that should inspire the community to dream of an ambitious and sustainable future for the City of North Vancouver. It is a space we should all be proud of, and it could not have been possible without a dedicated design, construction, and client team.”

– Michael Green

North Vancouver’s City Hall has also received other prestigious awards since it’s completion, including the Lieutenant Governor’s Award and one of British Columbia’s three Wood Design Grants for Innovation from Wood Enterprise Coalition. The project was begun at our predecessor firm, mcfarlane green biggar Architecture + Design, and completed by the MGA team. Michael Green was the Project Principal throughout.

Michael Green and our design and construction team, including Associates Asher deGroot and Jordan van Dijk, will be traveling to Ottawa to receive the Governor General’s Medal on May 13th.

This program, created by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), contributes to the development of the discipline and practice of architecture, and increases public awareness of architecture as a vital cultural force in Canadian society. These awards are administered jointly with the Canada Council for the Arts, which is responsible for the adjudication process and contributes to the publication highlighting the medal winners.

“The recipients of the Governor General’s Medals in Architecture have distinguished themselves as visionary Canadian architects. They have designed spaces where communities are forged, memories are enshrined and identity is created in built form. Few architects are able to realize their philosophies so fully in practice and in such diversity of project type and geography.”

-His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General of Canada