Work on a place of prayer and contemplation has won Squamish architects recognition from above.
Earlier this month, Andreas Kaminski and Jayne Song of Squamish-based AKA Architecture and Design Inc. were recognized by the B.C. Wood Design Awards for their craftsmanship on the Queen of Peace Monastery.
Officially opened last summer, the 23,000-square-foot Dominican monastery was pieced together using local material. Constructed on a hillside in an 82-acre parcel in the Squamish Valley, the building presented some unique complexities, Song said.
The facility had to accommodate centuries of monastic tradition, which Song and Kaminski re-interpreted in a modern way that worked for the sisters and surrounding geography. The building's design meets the needs of visitors and those on retreat at the monastery, but also preserves the sisters' devotion to silent prayer, Sister Claire told The Chief at the monastery's opening last August.
"It was a really invigorating process," Song said.
AKA Architecture and Design Inc. has worked on multiple projects around Squamish, including the new downtown Cornerstone office building, Riverstones and Quest University's residential housing units. Squamish is developing its own type of architectural language, Kaminski said. At its helm are the community's views and lumber.
Song agreed. Wood, spectacular landscapes and light are key ingredients.
"We use them as our building materials," Song said.
Ninety-eight nominations were entered into the 2013 B.C. Wood Design Awards. The ninth annual awards aim to highlight the advances in wood products as a building material.
"We are truly amazed by both the structural and architectural uses of wood; we are seeing innovation beyond anything we have imagined a decade ago," Wood WORKS! B.C. executive director Mary Tracey said in a statement.
