Interfor to donate wood for BC-wide playhouse challenge
By Erin Perkins
Wood from the Interfor mill in Grand Forks will be used in a province-wide competition that aims to raise some serious money for Habitat for Humanity Canada.
The wood will be used to build whimsical playhouses for children in the Canfor Playhouse Challenge, which will then be displayed at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) August 18 to September 3 before being presented to the pre-registered corporate buyers. Money raised in the selling of the houses will be donated to Habitat for Humanity for use in BC projects.
“Interfor was the first to agree to this super creative and super competitive project,” said Canfor director of public affairs, Christine Kennedy. “It’s so neat to have so many excellent architects and builders all donating their time and energy.”
The eight houses being built will be about 10 feet by 10 feet (three meters by three meters) in circumference.
Interfor is contributing 315 cedar and Douglas Fir 10 foot long (three meter) pieces of varying widths to be used in building the structures.
“The structures coming out of this (competition) will not be your typical playhouses,” said Kennedy.
Each playhouse will use only BC wood, be designed by an architectural team, including students from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and built by BC builders, all of whom are donating their time to the fundraiser.
The playhouses will spend two weeks on display and for play at the PNE where kids will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite house. The corporate donors will then decide which children’s charity to donate the houses to, said Kennedy.
The project aims not only raise money for Habitat for Humanity, but also to raise the profile and energy of the BC forest product sector, said Kennedy.
“We’re incredibly proud and excited to see this inaugural Playhouse Challenge come to fruition and not only bring joy to families across BC, but also showcase the vast array of unique applications for BC’s sustainable forest products,” said Don Kayne, President and CEO, Canfor in a press release. “It’s inspiring to watch the teams that have been brought together for this challenge as they compete to create the most original playhouses between the Pacific and the Rockies – and from what I’ve seen so far, they won’t disappoint.”
For more information on Canfor’s Playhouse Challenge visit: www.playhousechallenge.com.
