The Winners of the 2023 Wood Design Award Have Been Announced by WoodWorks

In recognition of the most innovative uses of mass timber and wood in building projects throughout the United States, WoodWorks has revealed the winners of the 2023 Wood Design Award.

The use of mass-produced timber and other sustainable wood sources has skyrocketed over the past year, with the 25-story Ascent Tower in Milwaukee—winner of the Innovation category—being one of many notable breakthroughs in the world’s collection of high-rise buildings architecture.

Ascent skyscraper in Milwaukee. ©Korb + Associates Architects

“Putting money toward a better tomorrow should be rewarded. It’s a privilege to recognize the efforts of architects and designers that push the boundaries of what’s possible in the built environment. WoodWorks President and CEO Jennifer Cover remarked, “The winning projects this year showcase the work of building designers from across the nation who highlight the boundless possibilities of wood. These projects emphasize how wood strengthens the physical setting of our communities and the experience of those who occupy them, from the 19-story CLT and glulam towering over Milwaukee’s skyline to the wooden reflectors enhancing acoustics in a Colorado theater.”

WoodWorks’ 2023 Wood Design Award Winners

The jury, which included the principal of Hacker Architects, Cheung Chan of Neumann Monson Architects of Iowa, and the senior structural engineer at Arup, Lauren Wingo, narrowed the field to 22 designs across ten categories. Let’s look deeper at the 2023 Wood Design Award Winners announced by WoodWorks.

1) COMMERCIAL WOOD DESIGN – MID-RISE

• Mississippi Workshop / Waechter Architecture (Portland, OR)

©Lara Swimmer, David Papazian

Mississippi Workshop is a prototype for innovative sustainable building systems and techniques built on a bustling commercial thoroughfare. It’s a 21st-century reimagining of the traditional industrial loft, and it’s flexible, long-lasting, and aesthetically pleasing. All primary structural and spatial defining elements were crafted from mass timber, eliminating the need for fireproofing or interior coatings.

Also Read: The Only Three Types of Wood That Every Architect Should Be Aware Of

2) COMMERCIAL WOOD DESIGN – LOW-RISE

• High Tech Client Campus / WRNS Studio (Mountain View, CA)

©Bruce Damonte; Celso Rojas

Despite the absence of specific provisions in the building code at the time, a high-tech company’s dedication to creating a profoundly sustainable workplace led them to choose mass timber for a new building on their Silicon Valley campus. Glulam supports, steel beams and concrete shear walls complement the CLT-concrete composite floors in this hybrid structure. The CLT panels could stretch further thanks to the composite floor system, and the power and data systems were hidden in the concrete topping.

3) WOOD IN SCHOOLS

• San Jacinto College Anderson-Ball Classroom Building / Kirksey Architecture (Pasadena, TX)

©Joe Aker

Exposed glulam columns and beams and CLT panels were used in the construction of this building, marking a dramatic introduction of mass timber to students at San Jacinto College in the Houston region. As students enter the building, they are greeted by a stunning two-story lobby with a double glulam column and beam structure that makes a bold architectural statement and hides sprinkling lines and electrical lines.

4) MULTI-FAMILY WOOD DESIGN

• Central Lofts / Jones Architecture (Portland, OR)

©David Papazian

The Central Lofts were one of the first multi-family wood buildings in Portland. The four-story, thirty-unit building capitalizes on its charming surroundings and prime position next to a plaza at the heart of the commercial passageway at the foot of the historic St. Johns Bridge. The CLT and glulam framework is combined with exterior wood shear walls to reduce the amount of steel and concrete used while allowing for adaptability in the ground floor layout.

5) WOOD IN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS

• Winthrop Library / Johnston Architects; Prentiss Balance Wickline (associate architects) (Winthrop, WA)

©Benjamin Drummond

The exposed glulam columns and open-web timber and steel trusses are reminiscent of the community’s fondness for rural structures. Prefabricated trusses cut down on expenses, sped up the build time, and matched the aesthetic of nearby historic wood-frame structures. The walls and roof are lined with wooden baffles, which act as sound-absorbing surfaces and help to diffuse any background noise.

6) INSTITUTIONAL WOOD DESIGN

• Locust Grove Event Pavilion / de Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop (Louisville, KY)

©de Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop

The open-air pavilion takes its design cues from the property’s collection of older structures, emulating the porches of Georgian farmhouses with its combination of limestone walls and a low-slung glulam roof canopy. This arrangement has a minimal effect on the landscape and allows for panoramic views. The project is surprisingly detailed for its low funding. The black locust tree, from which the property takes its name, inspired the design of the coffered ceiling, which is made from profiled glulam beams infilled with ornamental secondary framing.

7) SUSTAINABLE WOOD DESIGN

• The Ecology School / Simons Architects; Kaplan Thompson; Briburn Architecture (Saco, ME)

©Trent Bell

The use of wood in the building and finishing of this non-profit residential, educational facility was deliberate. The center aims to bridge the gap between humanity and the environment through profound educational experiences for all ages. Featuring a dining commons and three two-story dorms built from a combination of mass timber and light-frame wood, this building is the result of a novel architectural cooperation between three different firms.

8) BEAUTY OF WOOD

• Patricia Reser Center for the Arts / Opsis Architecture (Beaverton, OR)

©Jeremy Bittermann; Josh Partee

The Reser is a stunning illustration of how a center for the performing and visual arts can be brought closer to its Pacific Northwest setting through biophilic architecture and natural woodwork. The city of Beaverton requested the use of wood in public interior areas, and Opsis responded with concepts that met the city’s needs while allowing for artistic representation and state-of-the-art acoustic performance. Using locally sourced Douglas fir, a complex, an ordered pattern was created by layering sticks and panels in the foyer and using vertical openings and folds in the theater to incorporate acoustic and theatrical systems.

9) DURABLE AND ADAPTABLE WOOD STRUCTURES

• Maclac Building D / Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects and Peter Logan Architecture and Design (PLAD) (San Francisco, CA)

©Billy Hustace

The redevelopment of a former lacquer and paint factory in San Francisco’s warehouse district earned this building the prestigious LEED Gold certification for environmental excellence. The original brick shell was kept intact to level the old roof while preserving the building’s geometry, and new steel king post beams were nested against the original heavy timber roof beams. Wood was critical in transforming the interior from a chilly, earthquake-prone shell to a seismically upgraded, aesthetically warm, and welcoming space.

10) INNOVATION

• Ascent Tower / Korb + Associates Architects (Milwaukee, WI)
  

©C.D. Smith Construction

This appropriately named hybrid skyscraper has 25 stories and is the tallest building in the world to use mass timber. Ascent, a 19-story CLT and glulam building atop a 6-story concrete podium in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, features 259 apartments and communal areas. With ecology, carbon, and biophilia in mind, the team selected wood and left about half of it exposed to aid in stress reduction and general wellness.

11) REGIONAL EXCELLENCE

• INTRO / Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture (Cleveland, OH)

©Aerial Agents, Nick Johnson, Tour D Space, Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture/Harbor Bay Ventures

• Idaho Central Credit Union Arena / Opsis Architecture; Hastings+Chivetta Architects (Moscow, ID)

©Lara Swimmer

• 1030 Music Row / Anecdote Architectural Experience (Nashville, TN)

©Andrew Keithly

• 80 M Street / Hickok Cole (Washington, D.C.)

©Ron Blunt, Maurice Harrington

• Chemeketa Community College Agricultural Complex / FFA Architecture and Interiors (Salem, OR)

©Christian Colombres, Edward Running

• Wellesley College Science Complex / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (Wellesley, MA)

Dave Burk ©SOM

• Nanotronics Smart Factory / Rogers Partners (Brooklyn, NY)

©Albert Vecerka

• Kansas City Current Training Facility / Generator Studio (Riverside, MO)

©Nate Sheets, Monarch Build, DI Innovations, Kansas City Current

• Houston Endowment Headquarters / Kevin Daly Architects with Productura (Houston, TX)

©Iwan Baan

• Ellis Golf Course Clubhouse / OPN Architects (Cedar Rapids, IA)

©Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio

• Crested Butte Center for the Arts / Steinberg Hart with Andrew Hadley Architect (Crested Butte, CO)

©Tom Kessler Photography

• 316 12 th Street / oWOW Design (Oakland, CA)

©Mike Baker