Brampton’s St. Elias Ukrainian Church wins prestigious award for its design
A Brampton church has won a coveted Wood Design Award for its stunning design features.
The St. Elias Ukrainian Church — which was destroyed in a fire in 2014 and rebuilt to its former glory this year — was one of 13 recipients to be feted at the Ontario Wood WORKS! celebrations for 2016.
The awards, chosen by leading architects, engineers and project teams honour people and organizations that are advancing the use of wood in construction through design excellence, advocacy, and innovation.
Wood WORKS! is a national, industry-led initiative of the Canadian Wood Council.
“We are pleased to recognize excellence in modern architecture, and to honour leadership in wood design and construction through the Wood Design Award program,” said Marianne Berube, executive director of the Ontario Wood WORKS! program. “The winning projects of this year’s program showcase the many benefits of wood construction such as sustainability, versatility, and cost-effectiveness.”
Of the 13 awards handed out this year, 10 went to specific wood projects, including the St. Elias Ukrainian Church; three awards were handed out to professionals for their contributions to the building industry that advance the case for wood design.
Moses Structural Engineers built the St. Elias Ukrainian Church based on the blueprints of well-known architectural company Zimmerman Workshop Architecture + Design. The church opened in October.
St. Elias Ukrainian Church, at 10193 Heritage Rd., is modelled after the architectural style known as “Boyko” found in the western part of Ukraine. The church’s distinctive style features five iconic copper clad domes, the largest of which weighs over 18,000 kilograms. The heavy timber or glulam and wood construction on a concrete and stone base comprises the entirety of the building, including each of the five domes.
“Wood use is definitely increasing in the province and around the world, and not just because codes now permit its use in a wider range of buildings,” said Berube. “Wood has significant environmental advantages over competing materials and, with construction professionals and designers seeking lower carbon building alternatives and renewable materials, they are increasingly motivated to build with wood.
Radhika Panjwani
