“Through a rigorous and collaborative interdisciplinary approach, the architects were able to create a beautiful building that expressed the design values of competition and community within an established campus context.”

Design Quarterly

“It’s fair to say that while Brock Commons was a complex undertaking, close collaboration between all parties resulted in a highly successful project that can now be used as a template not just across Canada, but the world. ”

Award Magazine

"The design solution is very clean execution of the program, targeting net-zero energy, achieving resiliency, and using smart-building technologies in a mass timber structure. It presents the possibility of wood structures becoming a viable option within the 'longer span' institutional market.”

Canadian Architect Awards

Passive House Buildings in Canada: Transforming How We Build, August 2019

State of The Nation: British Columbia, Canadian Architect, July 2019

AZ Awards 2019, Azure Magazine, July 2019

The Winning Projects, Canadian Green Building Awards Special Issue, SABMag, June 2019

The Duke: Design for social interaction, SABMag, May 2019

Brock Commons Tallwood House, Naturally Wood British Columbia, May 2019

Out in the Open, Canadian Architect, April 2019

scale meets ambition in Vancouver's architectural future, Wallpaper Magazine, April 2019

'Very unusual' : Roofs of Gastown parkades to get makeover as child-care centre, April 2019

Mass Timber Code Changes, Civil + Structural Engineer, March 2019

Ply in the Sky: the new materials to take us beyond concrete, The Guardian, March 2019

12 of the Best Pools in Canada, Chatelaine, March 2019

Vancouver Architects Acton Ostry celebrate 25 years with new book, Oct 2018

Acton Ostry Architects marks 25 years making the ordinary extraordinary, Vancouver Courier, Oct 2018

Designer Profile - Elevating the Ordinary, Design Quarterly, Aug 2018

High Water Mark, Canadian Architect, Aug 2018

Brock Commons Tallwood House University of British Columbia - The advent of tall wood structures in Canada - A case study, Canadian Wood Council, Jul 2018

UBC Aquatic Centre in the Pools & Wellness Facility, SB Magazine, Jul 2018

The Art and Craft of Mass Timber, Harvard Design Magazine, Jul 2018

Growing Innovation, Canadian Architect, Jul 2018

Talking Tall Towers, Canadian Consulting Engineer Magazine, Jun 2018

Brock Commons Tallwood House Wins International Press Award, Wood Design & Building Magazine, Jun 2018

Brock Commons Tallwood House wins Canadian Green Building Award Residential [Large] Award, SAB Magazine, Jun 2018

Manual of Multi-Storey Timber Construction, Detail Magazine, May 2018

Projects: Architects named for George Brown's tall wood building, Canadian Architect, May 2018

2018 AIBC award winners in the spotlight, Journal of Commerce, May 2018

Acton Ostry Architects Welcomes Three New Associates, Canadian Architect, Apr 2018

UBC Aquatic Centre Among Winners Of 2018 Architecture Awards, Vancouver Sun, Apr 2018

Brock Commons Tallwood House Wins a Press Award at the International Wood Construction Award, Apr 2018

UBC Aquatic Centre / MJMA + Acton Ostry Architects, Archdaily.com, Apr 2018

Moriyama & Teshima + Acton Ostry Win Competition For ‘The Arbour’, Canadian Architect, Apr 2018

Toronto Gets a Tall Wood Tower - And, Maybe, An Architectural Masterpiece, Globe and Mail, Mar 2018

Finalist Teams Selected for George Brown's Tall Wood Showpiece, Canadian Architect, Mar 2018

Mass Appeal, Architects Data File (ADF) Magazine, Mar 2018

Top Projects in the Province Honoured as Design Excellence Finalists for the Ontario Association of Architects Awards, Ontario Association of Architects, Mar 2018

Technological Innovation Takes Centre Stage At 2018 Wood Design Awards, Canadian Architect, Mar 2018

2018 Wood Design Awards Celebrate Tall Building Innovation In BC, Building Magazine, Feb 2018

UBC Aquatic Centre - MJMA, Acton Ostry Architects, Architect Magazine, Feb 2018

UBC Architects’ Tall Wood Talk Aims High, Journal of Commerce, Feb 2018

Standing Tall, Canadian Architect, Feb 2018

Angular White Roof Covers MJMA's Glazed Aquatic Centre In Vancouver, Dezeen Magazine, Feb 2018

Splashy Public Art Installed as The Duke Arrives in Mount Pleasant, Skyrisecities.com, Jan 2018

Building Tall in Timber, World-Architects.com, Jan 2018

Tallwood Building Enclosures A Race to the Top, Elements (BCBEC), Dec 2017

Mainstreaming Mass Wood Construction, SAB Magazine, Dec 2017

The Future of Architecture Is Lumbering Toward Us, Globe and Mail, Dec 2017

World’s Tallest Mass Timber Tower, Design Quarterly, Nov 2017

Cross-laminated Timber Could Lead A Mid-rise Revolution, The Architect Newspaper, Nov 2017

Innovation by Design Awards: The Honourees, Fast Company Magazine, Oct 2017

Inside Vancouver's Brock Commons, the World's Tallest Timber Structured Building, Archdaily.com, Sep 2017

The Past, Present and Future of Structural Wood in Canada, Daily Commercial News, Sep 2017

Making Room for Aquatics Leisure and Competition, Athletic Business Magazine, Sep 2017

Building the UBC Aquatic Centre, Pool & Spa Magazine, Aug 2017

High Rises Made of Wood?, Scientific American Magazine, Aug 2017

National Soccer Development Centre, Award Magazine, Aug 2017

Brock Commons Tallwood House - UBC, Award Magazine, Aug 2017

Unique Aquatic Environment, Design Quarterly, Jun 2017

High-Rise Student Housing Block in Vancouver, Detail Magazine Issue 6, Jun 2017

How to Design Public Space in a School, Room Spotlight on Senior School at York House School, Student Voices, Jun 2017

Whitecaps Move into New $32.5 Million National Soccer Development Centre at UBC, Business in Vancouver, Jun 2017

Worth the Wait: Vancouver Whitecaps Finally Move into New Training Facility, The Canadian Press, Jun 2017

Design & Construction of a Tall Wood Building Brock Commons, Wood Design & Building Magazine Spring/Summer 2017

Timber Construction on the Rise, Detail Green Magazine, May 2017

Introducing Brock Commons: Looking up to the World’s Tallest Contemporary Wood Building, Construction Canada, May 2017

Brock Commons’ Tallwood House is a Tribute to Timber, Green Magazine, Apr 2017

Russell Acton to Deliver Keynote at Perth Timber Conference, Architecture and Design, Apr 2017

Aquatic Centre by MJMA + Acton Ostry Architects opens at UBC, Canadian Architect, Apr 2017

Pushing Boundaries, Growing Innovation, FPInnovations & Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) Success Stories magazine, Apr 2017

Acton Ostry Architects expands its leadership team, Design Quarterly, Mar 2017

Behind the MLS Ambition Rankings: Vancouver Whitecaps, Sports Illustrated, Mar 2017

Cutting-edge World Class Wooden Buildings, Nikkei Architecture, Feb 2017

Timber Tower, Fire Fighting in Canada, Feb 2017

Vancouver College Breaks Ground on New Middle School, Manrell Hall, Vancouver College, Feb 2017

Reaching New Heights, Canadian Architect, Feb 2017

Dive in! First dip and sneak peek at new UBC Aquatic Centre, UBC Public Affairs, Jan 2017

Mass timber: From ‘What the heck is that?’ to ‘Wow!’, Building Design and Construction, Jan 2017

UBC Aquatic Centre, Award Magazine, Dec 2016

Vancouver Talmud Torah Elementary, Award Magazine, Dec 2016

The Duke Rental Apartments on the Rise in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant, Skyrisecities.com, Nov 2016

Collage of Colours and Materials on Display at The Independent, Skyrisecities.com, Nov 2016

A most uncommon building…, World Architecture News Shoptalk Podcast, Nov 2016

Vancouver Welcomes the World’s Tallest Timber Tower, Vancouver Magazine, Oct 2016

Canadian Tower becomes World’s Tallest Timber Building, RIBA Journal UK, Sep 2016

UBC’s Brock Commons Project Reaches New Heights, Canadian Architect, Sep 2016

World’s Tallest Wood Building Completed at UBC, Global News, Sep 2016

Brock Commons Takes the Title of Tallest Wood Tower, Architect Magazine, Sep 2016

53-meter High Building Finished in Canada with mostly Wooden Material, Xinhua Agency, Sep 2016

World’s Tallest wood building complete, World Architecture News, Sep 2016

World’s Tallest timber tower topped off, Treehugger.com, Aug 2016

World’s Tallest Timber Tower Set to Rise in Vancouver, Azure Magazine, Jul 2016

Will Mass Timber Cut into the Concrete Market?, Journal of Commerce, Jun 2016

St. Mary’s plans to Build Elementary School in High-rise, BC Catholics, Jun 2016

St. Augustine School, Awards Magazine, Jun 2016

AIBC honours B.C. Architects during Awards Ceremony, Journal of Commerce, May 2016

Construction of the World’s Tallest Timber Tower is Underway in Vancouver, Archdaily, May 2016

Vancouver Celebrates Best in Local Architecture and Design, Canadian Architect, May 2016

Wood-And-Glue Skyscrapers Are On The Rise, Popular Science, Apr 2016

Province Invests $19.6 million in Student Safety at New Elementary School, Province of BC, Apr 2016

St. Augustine School by Acton Ostry Opens in Vancouver, Canadian Architect, Mar 2016

Wood Highrises Designed in B.C. are Sustainable and Safe, CBC.ca, Mar 2016

Ground broken: Construction underway at state-of-the-art NSDC fieldhouse, Whitecaps, Jan 2016

Religious Architecture Award, Congregation Beth Israel, Faith and Form Magazine, Dec 2015

2015 Masonry Design Awards winners, Construction Business Magazine, Oct 2015

UBC Tower Elevating B.C.’S Wood Highrise Aspirations, Business In Vancouver, Oct 2015

UBC Residence Will Be Among World’s Tallest Wood Buildings, Canadian Architect, Oct 2015

UBC To Build 18-Storey Student Residence Out Of Wood, The Vancouver Sun, Oct 2015

Haebler Transforms Aged Synagogue Into Modern Facility, Journal Of Commerce, Oct 2015

York House Senior School, Canadian Interiors, Sep 2015

BC Battling to Keep Tall Wood Bragging Rights, Journal of Commerce, Jun 2015

Adaptive Reuse - Vancouver: Water Street Revitalization, Heritage BC Quarterly, Jun 2015

Winners Of Vancouver Magazine’s 26Th Annual Restaurant Awards, Vancouver Magazine, Apr 2015

Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue, Award Magazine, Dec 2014

Rainwater Will Be Used to Top Up University Swimming Pool, Journal of Commerce, Nov 2014

Vancouver’s Water Street Adaptation Wins Heritage Canada Award, Canadian Consulting Engineer, Oct 2014

Winners of the 2014 National Heritage Awards Announced, Canadian Architect, Oct 2014

York House School: Keen Girls , Canadian Architect, Sep 2014

Alfresco Design: Cactus Club Cafe at English Bay, Green Building & Design Magazine, Jul 2014

The Salt Building, Contemplating the Past; Toasting the Future, Home & Living Magazine, Jun 2014

New Mixed-Use Development In Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood, Canadian Architect, May 2014

Redesign Takes Sauder’s Buildings from ‘Old High School’ to Corporate Cool, The Globe and Mail, Apr 2014

York House School in Vancouver Demonstrates Acton Ostry Architects’ Light and Sure Touch, Canadian Interiors, Apr 2014

Acton Ostry Architects Complete York House Senior School in Vancouver, Canadian Architect, Mar 2014

Light-Drenched Entry Point Inserted into York House School by Acton Ostry Architects, World Architecture News, Mar 2014

The University of British Columbia Finds New Life in Renovated Buildings, Interiors & Sources, Mar 2014

York House Senior School, Award Magazine, Feb 2014

Biophilic Design: Materials and Health in the Built Environment, Green Building and Design, Jan 2014

Cactus Club English Bay Earns LEED Gold, BC Business, Nov 2013

Ebb And Flow, Part II: Revitalizing Gastown’s Flagging Fortunes, The Architecture Of Engagement, Nov 2013

Cactus Club Embedded Into Vancouver Convention Center, World Architecture News, Oct 2013

Inside Peek: Cactus Club at Coal Harbour, Canadian Interiors, Oct 2013

From Outdated Building To LEED Gold Labs, CFM&D, Sep 2013

UBC Biological Sciences Complex Obtains LEED Gold Status, Canadian Architect, Aug 2013

West-coast Business School Revitalized, Construction Canada, Aug 2013

Steps to Success Acton Ostry Architects, Award Magazine, Aug 2013

Acton Ostry Architects Celebrate Opening of Christ Worship Centre in Surrey, Canadian Architect, Jul 2013

Cactus Club Coal Harbour, Wallpaper Magazine, Apr 2013

Salt Building, Wood Design & Building, Jan 2013

Beach Banquet, Canadian Architect, Oct 2012

The Accessible Home: Designing for All Ages & Abilities, Oct 2012

B.C. Schools Earn Green Building Awards, Journal of Commerce, Aug 2012

Biological Sciences Building, SAB Magazine, Jul/Aug 2012

Sauder School of Business, ArchDaily, Jul 2012

Progressive Design 101, Architecture Leaders Today, Summer 2012

Exploring Vancouver: Architectural Guide, May 2012

Hillel Student Centre: Flashes of Brilliance, World Architecture News, Mar 2012

Biological Sciences Complex – UBC, Award Magazine, Feb 2012

Sauder School of Business: Phase II and III, Award Magazine, Dec 2011

Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church, Arch Daily, Dec 2011

Killarney Ice Rink + Lobby, Arch Daily, Dec 2011

Salt Building, Arch Daily, Dec 2011

Salt Building, Celebrating Excellence in Wood Structures, 2010 / 2011

Murray’s Place, Mountain Life, Sep 2011

Newly Renovated Biological Sciences Building at UBC Opens, Canadian Architect, Aug 2011

Green Is Gold: Sauder School Of Business, Viewpoints, Spring 2011

The Friedman Building Case Study, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Nov 2010

New ‘Corporate Cool’ for a Business School, CFM&D, Oct 2010

Heritage Project Attracts Business and Residents, Vancouver Sun, Aug 2010

Gastown Rehab, SABMagazine, Jul/Aug 2010

Sauder School of Business, SABMagazine, Jul/Aug 2010

Salt Building Revival, SABMagazine, May/Jun 2010

Sauder School of Business Expansion, Phase One, Award Magazine, Apr 2010

A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture in Vancouver, 2010

It Took a Village, But They Got It Right, The Globe and Mail, Feb 2010

A Landmark Worth Its Salt, The Globe and Mail, Feb 2010

The Salt Building, The Challenge Series, 2009

Building on History, The Globe and Mail, Jul 2009

Water Street’s ‘Sculptural’ Addition, The Vancouver Sun, Feb 2009

Stella, Award Magazine, Apr 2009

Water Street’s ‘Sculptural’ Addition, The Vancouver Sun, Feb 2009

King David High School, 1000 x Architecture of the Americas, Winter 2008

Black Tie Optional, Jim Sutherland, Western Living, Sep 2008

High-Energy Cactus Club Delivers the Goods, Vancouver Sun, Jul 2008

Craft & Heritage: King David High School, Wood Design & Building, Summer 2008

Dwelling: King David High School, A Community Building, Trevor Boddy, Globe & Mail, May 2008

2008 AIBC Architectural Awards, Canadian Architect, May 2008

Design Wire: King David High School, Interior Design, March 2008

Gold/Best of Show: King David High School, An Enriching Experience, Design Quarterly, Spring 2008

Design Wire: King David High School, Interior Design, Mar 2008

Alhambra Hotel, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, 2008

True Reflections: 2007 Awards of Excellence, Canadian Architect, Dec 2007

Sacred Spaces, CBC Radio Interview, Aired 27 Nov 2006

Biblical Proportions: King David High School, Canadian Architect, Jun 2006

Details in Architecture 5, China Architecture and Building Press, 2006

Chinatown Revitalization, Greater Vancouver TV, Aired 05 Oct 2005

Har-El Synagogue, The Poetics of West Coast Modernism, Exhibition Catalogue, Fall 2005

Siple House, Wood Design & Building, Summer 2005

The Siple Life, Dwell, March 2005

Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church, Canadian Architect, Dec 2004

Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Project, Canadian Architect, Nov 2004

Lofty Ambitions, Western Living, Sept 2001

Native Intelligence, Canadian Architect, Feb 2000

Allegorical Architecture, The Globe and Mail, Feb 2000

Har-El Synagogue, Wood Design & Building, Summer 1999

The Har-El Synagogue, Wood le Bois, Fall 1998

Speaking a Universal Language of Worship, The Globe & Mail, Aug 1998

Spiritual Retreat, Architecture, Aug 1998

New Jerusalem on a Salmon Run, Canadian Architect, Jun 1998

The Vancouver School, Stadt Bauwelt, Mar 1998

Har-El Synagogue, Award of Excellence, Canadian Architect, Dec 1997

Company’s Image, L’Arca, Jun 1997

Vancouver’s Vital Signs, Architecture, Sep 1996

Transcending Style, Architecture, Sep 1996

Old Massett Primary School, Award of Excellence, Canadian Architect, Dec 1993

Chief Matthews School, International Contract, Jul 1993