Waterfront Toronto’s wavedecks have been awarded the 2009 Jury’s Choice Award at the 9th Annual Wood Works Awards. This marks the fifth time one or more of the wavedecks have received a design or construction award in less than a year.

Wood Works, an annual awards program sponsored by the Canadian Wood Council, recognizes people and organizations advancing the use of wood in non-residential construction. The awards received more than 70 submissions this year.

“We are so pleased that the wavedecks have been honoured yet again,” said John Campbell, Waterfront Toronto President and CEO. “The trio of beautifully designed and constructed wooden wavedecks have become a symbol of the excitement surrounding the revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront.”

Designed by West 8 and duToit Allsopp Hillier and built by Somerville Construction, the Spadina WaveDeck opened in September 2008 and was the first wavedeck built along Toronto’s waterfront. The Simcoe and Rees WaveDecks opened this summer. Inspired in part by the Canadian cottage experience and the shorelines of Ontario’s great lakes, the wavedecks were designed to create more public space at the water’s edge.

The wavedecks, which “inspired and delighted” the Wood Works Jury were also praised for creating “a memorable identity for Toronto… with their complex geometric forms.”

The wavedecks were honoured alongside some of Ontario’s most innovative and prestigious projects including the new Koerner Concert Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Transformation AGO at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Previous winners include the Young Centre for the Performing Arts and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Together, the three wavedecks create more than 1700 square metres of new public space along one of the most heavily used parts of the Toronto shoreline. Planning is currently underway for the fourth wavedeck at the Parliament Slip in East Bayfront.

Design excellence is a core priority for Waterfront Toronto. The organization’s goal is that everything built on Toronto’s waterfront — from buildings to streets to parks and public art — will set new standards for architecture and public space.

To help achieve and uphold its standards for design excellence, Waterfront Toronto hosts international design competitions, works with some of world’s top architects and landscape designers and incorporates urban design as an important component in its environmental assessment process. The Waterfront Design Review Panel, an independent body comprised of some of Canada’s most prestigious architects and planners also guides and informs the organization’s projects.

Since 2005, Waterfront Toronto has completed several parks and public spaces projects in addition to the wavedecks. The organization started construction of Sherbourne Park in July and Canada’s Sugar Beach this fall. Construction is also underway to support new communities in the West Don Lands and East Bayfront.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto created Waterfront Toronto to oversee and lead the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront. Public accessibility, design excellence, sustainable development, economic development and fiscal sustainability are the key drivers of waterfront revitalization.