Airport Honoured for Architectural Excellence

Article below courtesy of the Prince George Citizen

Work on the expansion of the Prince George Airport has yielded McfarlaneGreen Architecture and Design yet another award.

This time the firm won a award of excellence for innovation in architecture from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

Jury comments acknowledged use of innovative tehcnology, “only where it needs to be,” creation of “simple beautiful surfaces and minimalistic detailing,” openness of the interior to the extensions, “stressed and enhanced by an elegant roof that appears to float,” and called it an “elegant creation in the context of normal cost constraints.”

In 2006, the Vancouver-based firm received the Lieutenant Governor Award of Medal for the second phase of the project last weekend – one year after receiving the same medal for the first phase.

The second phase had already earned McfarlaneGreen a Canadian Wood Council B.C. wood design award for the use of wood and wood products, as had the first phase in 2005.

As well, the firm, along with engineering company Equilibrium Consultants, earned a citation in 2005 from the Wood Design Awards, an annual North America-wide competition offered through Wood Design and Building and Wood Le Bois magazines to U.S. and Canadian architects.

The design involved the expansion of the existing terminal to include a new departure lounge, international arrivals area, security screening area, baggage make-up room, support offices and renovations to the existing check-in hall.

The design modernized the 1970’s terminal with a “high performance building envelope and an innovative curtain wall and structure of exposed heavy timber,” the RAIC further commented. “Durability, sustainability, elegant detailing and cost were all weighed in the decisions to develop a simple natural palette for the building.”

MacfarlaneGreen also designed the John A. Brink Trades and Technology building for the College of New Caledonia.