Boston, February 24, 2009 – The Beechwood National Memorial Centre in Ottawa, Ontario has recently received the Canadian Wood Council WoodWORKS Award for Best Project in the Institutional < $10M Category.
Designed in Graphisoft’s Archicad, the memorial centre is in located at Beechwood, the home of the national cemetery of the Canadian armed forces, and was created to accommodate the diverse faiths of an entire nation.
The WoodWORKS Design Awards honor creators of new projects that push the limits of wood design in structures that demonstrate excellence in the use of wood. Winning projects showcase the special qualities of wood such as strength, durability, beauty, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. The Institutional Category includes schools, churches, hospitals, long-term care facilities, libraries, recreational facilities and municipal buildings with construction budgets less than $10 million.
The Beechwood National Memorial Centre is a circular hall designed with input from the major faith groups in Canada to ensure that appropriate symbolism in the architecture could apply to all. The space can be configured for remembrance rituals and traditions of all types, while not privileging one faith over another.
Designed by Ottawa-based Robertson Martin Architects, the National Memorial Centre is the new crown jewel in Beechwood’s 160 acres of stunning landscaping. It includes reception rooms and support spaces sized to suit different scales of memorial and cultural events.
According to architect Robert Martin, “Archicad was a key factor in the project’s success, right from initiation and early concept sessions through design development, contract documentation and construction phases. It’s spectacular ease of use, powerful tools and ability to integrate all team members toward common goals is streaks ahead of other CAD software on the market.”