UB School of Architecture and Planning: The 2010 Canadian Wood Lectures

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning will present its 2010 Canadian Wood Lectures on March 31, featuring presentations and discussion by principals of three distinguished firms from across eastern Canada, all of which are recognized for their innovative uses of wood and wood products.

The free public talk lecture will take place at 5:30 p.m. in 301 Crosby Hall, UB South Campus and will be free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

Presenters are Brigitte Shim, professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, and founding principle of the Toronto firm of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects; Mario Saia, an iconic figure in Canadian architecture and the founder of Saia Barbarese Tpouzanov Architects of Montreal, Quebec, and Richard Kroeker, professor of architecture at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and principal of Richard Kroeker Design.

The multiple award-winning firm of Shim-Sutcliffe focuses on the integration of architecture, landscape and furniture and has created many masterpieces featuring innovated uses of wood. Among them are Tower House, Stratford, Ontario, clad in wood siding and concrete panels; Craven Road Studio, Toronto (Honor Award, 2006 Wood Design Award competition, Canadian Wood Council), and "Integral House," for which the firm won a 2009 Wood Design Award citation -- a remarkable private residence in Toronto with a stunning, wood-faced undulating façade.

Saia, a world-renowned architect, has won multiple awards in his field including two Canadian Governor General's Medals in Architecture and a Gold Medal from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

Maison Goulet, Saia's home in Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson, Quebec, is considered one of the icons of Canadian modernism. Recognized as House of the Year in 2003 by Architecture magazine, it is notable for its splendid use of various woods inside and out.

Kroeker's work focuses on usability and ecological sustainability. His architecture is often inspired by early Native American designs and materials and pays special attention to a building's surroundings, reflecting the natural beauty of its location.

Among his most notable recent projects is the elegant, native-inspired Pictou Landing Health Centre, a community center and main community health facility for the Mi'kmaq community of Pictou Landing, Nova Scotia. It was built by members of the community using local trees and is heated and cooled with geothermal energy from a decommissioned municipal well. It is designed to use 43 percent less energy than a conventional building of comparable size.

The center contains clinics for doctors, dentists and community health workers, as well as a community meeting space and health education room. Its shape forms a protective space around a medicine garden and medicine wheel that forms the physical center of the community.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.