Vancouver firm wins U.K. engineering award

Consulting engineers Fast + Epp of Vancouver have received an award from the Institution of Structural Engineers in the United Kingdom. The firm won the 2003 “IStructE Structural Achievement Award for their design of the Brentwood Town Centre Station on Vancouver’s new Millennium Skytrain line. Fast + Epp designed the structure with Busby + Associates Architects. The engineers travelled to London to receive the award.

Located in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver, the station is an elegant three-dimensional “cocoon” form, incorporating steel haunches and laminated timber. The structure straddles a highway and provides resistance to seismic effects. At the same time the design resists vandalism and allows commuters to enjoy expansive views out to the surrounding mountains.