Lake Country wins
From hidden mass timber to exquisite wood finishings, the Okanagan winners of British Columbia 2018 Wood Design Awards showcase the strength, environmental friendliness, affordability, versatility and beauty of wood.
The big winner at the awards held in Vancouver earlier this week was the world’s tallest wood building – the 18-storey Brock Commons dormitory at UBC Vancouver.
It was tops in the innovation, architect and engineer categories.
The tower was able to go that high because cross-laminated mass timber from Structurlam in Penticton was used for strength.
Layers of dimensional lumber glued together in perpendicular patterns create a light construction panel that’s as strong as concrete or steel.
Such Structurlam products were used for the floors at Brock, as well as supporting columns, so the building could be constructed mostly of wood on top of a concrete podium and around two concrete stair cores.
Structurlam products were also used liberally in the five-storey addition to Penticton Lakeside Resort.
Floors, walls and roof are all cross-laminated mass timber and glulam was used for ceilings, columns, beams, stairs and stair shafts.
As much of the wood as possible is exposed and finished in the entrance atrium, corridors and 70 suites for warm and welcoming beauty.
Glulam timber is also prominent in the trades complex addition at the Kelowna campus of Okanagan College.
From the wood structure of the atrium and the roof to wall panels, beams, soffits and columns, all are exposed wood.
The Wood Design Awards are handed out annually by the Canadian Wood Council and Wood Works B.C., which promote the use of wood in commercial, institutional, government and highrise construction.
The council also touts the use of wood as a renewable resource and using wood supports the forestry industry, which is the biggest economic engine in B.C.
Louisiana sawmill
Speaking of wood, Vernon-based forest products giant Tolko is partnering with Louisiana-based Hunt Forest Products to build a US$115-million sawmill in Urania, La.
Construction will start next month for December completion.
When up and running, the sawmill will employ 110 and produce southern yellow pine lumber from trees harvested in the surrounding area.
“This is our first venture in the United States,” said Tolko CEO Brad Thorlakson.
“We are thrilled to be in Louisiana with Hunt, a familyowned company like ours, and one that has played a vital, reliable role in Louisiana’s forestry industry for more than a century.”
The sawmill will process 850,000 tons of timber into 200 million-board-feet of lumber and will include three dry kilns and planer facility.
All the wood chips, sawdust, planer shavings and hog fuel from the sawmill will be sent to the Drax Biomass facility next door to be made into wood pellets for burning for power generation, commercial and residential heating and cooking.
The Lake Country Chamber of Commerce has handed out its Business Excellence Awards in a dozen categories. The winners are: – Employee of the year: Anne Leistner, a senior financial adviser at CIBC
– Businessperson of the year: Garth McKay of Lake Country Medical Clinic
– Business of rthe year: Nalu Massage Therapy and Wellness
– Employer of the year: Interior Savings Credit Union
– Young entrepreneur of the year: Kim Chapman of Mountain Home Services
– Rising star: Neon Counselling
– Tourism excellence: Sip Happens Wine Tours
– Customer service excellence: UBR Copy and Print Centre
– New business of the year: Dairy Queen
– Volunteer of the year: Bernard Dewonck from Rotary Club
– Licensed service provider: Sun City Physiotherapy
– Community project of the year: Art Walk
Foothills Creamery
Half of dairy giant Foothills Creamery of Calgary, which has a distribution centre in Kelowna, is being sold to Western Investment Co. and ATB Capital for $27.6 million.
The other 50 per cent will remain in Foothills founder and CEO Don Bayrack’s hands.
The deal was made to facilitate Foothills’ growth.
Foothills, which started in 1969, makes butter and 80 flavours of ice cream, soft serve, frozen yogurt, sorbet and sherbet for sale in stores, restaurants and ice cream parlours under its own label.
It also has deals to make butter and ice cream packaged under different labels.
In all, the company has 60 employees that make 4.4 million kiograms of butter annually and 1.1 million kilograms of ice cream.
Steve MacNaull is The Okanagan Weekend’s business and wine reporter and columnist. Reach him at steve.macnaull@ok.bc.ca.