We present the shortlist for excellence in wood used in British architecture, furniture and design
Every year the RIBA Journal is delighted to present the Wood Awards, the UK’s premier award scheme celebrating excellence in wood in British architecture, furniture and design. This year’s shortlist of 30 projects has been selected from another record entry of over 300.
The shortlist features unique private houses, remarkable small projects, outstanding restorations and impressive commercial and public buildings. The shortlist for the Furniture categories includes extraordinary bespoke and production-made furniture.
The Building shortlist includes projects as diverse in size and scope as the new Middle Drawbridge at the Tower of London by GMT Timber Frame ,using green and air-dried oak; the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – the new indoor Jacobean theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe in London by McCurdy & Co with architects Simon Fraser of Allies & Morrison and Jon Greenfield, using English and European oak, European redwood, whitewood and spruce; Hugh Strange’s Architecture Archive in Somerset using Stora Enso / Eurban spruce cross-laminated timber with locally sourced cedar, ash and beech; The Moor Market in Sheffield by Leslie Jones Architecture with B&K Structures using Western red cedar and European spruce glulam; and the Endless Stair by dRMM Architects – a major feature of last year’s London Design Festival, using new developments in cross-laminated hardwood to create a unique structure from American tulipwood.
The Wood Awards independent judging panel of architecture, engineering, craftsmanship and design experts will now visit the shortlisted projects in person – from the south coast to the Highlands – before making their final decision. The winners of the Wood Awards categories and the recipient of the WA Arnold Laver Gold Award for the ‘winner of winners’ will be announced on 18 November at a reception in London hosted by the Worshipful Company of Carpenters. All the results will be published as the Wood Awards 2014 supplement in RIBA Journal’s December issue.
The judging panel includes Hugh Pearman, editor of RIBA Journal; Jim Greaves of Hopkins Architects; Andrew Lawrence from Arup; architects David Morley and Adam Khan; architectural writer Ruth Slavid; timber engineering consultant Nathan Wheatley from Engenuiti; and craft specialist John Wilkie. The panel is supported by timber industry consultant Michael Buckley. Sean Sutcliffe of Benchmark Furniture leads the furniture judging panel of John Makepeace, Rod Wales and Katie Walker.
The Bespoke and Production-Made Furniture shortlisted pieces will be exhibited on the Wood Awards stand at this year’s 100% Design in September – the biggest event during the London Design Festival.
The Wood Awards and this article are brought to you through the major sponsorship of the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), the Carpenters’ Company, TRADA and Wood for Good. Other sponsors include American Softwoods, BRE and the Forestry Commission. New from 2014 is the combined sponsorship of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) with the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC), and the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) as a supporter. The Wood Awards Gold Award is sponsored by Arnold Laver.
For more information and regular updates, visit www.woodawards.com.