Governor General's Medals in Architecture — 2016 Recipient | Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

Governor General's Medals in Architecture — 2016 Recipient

BC Passive House Factory
Pemberton
BC
Award Category: 
Governor General’s Medals in Architecture

Hemsworth Architecture

Lead design architect(s): 

John Hemsworth, MRAIC

BC Passive House Factory is an all-wood-construction demonstration project. The client, BC Passive House (BCPH), mandated that the design and construction of their new facility must exemplify their investment in wood construction, prefabrication, energy efficiency, and sustainable design practice. The new 1,500-square-metre facility is used for the manufacturing of prefabricated Passive House panels and was conceived as a simple, light-filled, wooden box.

The facility is the first of its kind in North America and will assist the company in its promotion of the Passive House Standard and sustainable, energy-efficient, wood-based construction.

Jury Comment(s): 

"The factory is both a demonstration of the possibilities of wood for ordinary industrial structures, and a home for an innovative industry producing panels for building. The architect has considered every detail, from the wood structure and panelized roof, to the sloped larch and fir screens, to the beautifully finished interiors. The jury was impressed by the speed in which the building’s super structure was constructed: a mere eight days. BC Passive House Factory proves that modest structures can be extraordinary examples of architecture."

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Photos: Ema Peter Photography

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