Wood Awards

🏆 Best New Commercial Building | WorkStack by dRMM Rising from a compact urban site in Greenwich, London, WorkStack redefines urban industrial design with innovation and sustainability. Designed by dRMM, this visionary high-density industrial space, inspired by the protective form of a ‘log stack,’ has been crowned the Best New Commercial Building at the #WoodAwards24. 🌳 Sustainability at its Core · Constructed from stacked Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) boxes. · Achieves 21% less upfront embodied carbon than LETI's 2030 Design Target. 343 metric tonnes of carbon sequestered in the CLT structure. · Delivered in just 15 lorries and assembled in nine weeks by a small team. ✨ Design Highlights · The cantilevered form doubles as solar shading and a covered delivery area. · Exposed CLT walls and ceilings showcase the natural beauty of timber, enhancing biophilic benefits. · Efficient, panelised components minimise material use without compromising function or aesthetics. 🌟 The Wood Awards judges praised WorkStack for demonstrating timber’s potential in creating replicable, high-density industrial buildings suitable for urban spaces. Lead judge Jim Greaves (Hopkins Architects) said: “It is a highly original approach to urban industrial design, pragmatic and spatially efficient while showcasing the structural possibilities of engineered timber.” 👏 Congratulations to the project team who brought this ambitious vision to life. Discover more about WorkStack here: https://bit.ly/4eMFfRY View all our 2024 winners here: https://bit.ly/4fA8nNu 📍 Location: London ✨ Architect: dRMM 🏗️ Structural Engineer: Arup / changebuilding 🪵 Wood Supplier: HASSLACHER NORICA TIMBER / Stora Enso 🏢 Contractor: F Parkinson Ltd 🌳 Species: Spruce CLT and Glulam (Sweden, Austria, Germany), Birch and Spruce Plywood (Finland). PEFC certified 🌟 Client: Greenwich Enterprise Board ⚡️ Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Webb Yates Engineers 🛠️ Offsite Construction Specialist: B&K Structures 📸 Photographs: Alex de Rijke / Fred Howarth

🏆 ‘A powerful storytelling piece’ | Communion table wins Wood Award 🏆 Announced at the Wood Awards ceremony last Wednesday, the stunning Communion Table by Giles Tettey Nartey has taken home the top prize in the Bespoke category. This extraordinary piece celebrates West African culinary traditions, with its centrepiece inspired by the preparation and serving of fufu, a staple dish. The design features a communal workstation equipped with Womas (pestles), Woduros (mortars), and textured bowls, encircling a central dining table. Crafted entirely from black-stained American maple, the table blends intricate CNC textures with expert hand-finishing, showcasing the perfect harmony of cultural storytelling and masterful craftsmanship. 🏆 Why it stands out: ✔️ A powerful connection to West African culture and history ✔️ Combines cutting-edge timber techniques with profound cultural significance ✔️ Beautifully constructed to be activated through performance, creating an interactive and meaningful experience ✔️ Represents a narrative exploring history, colonization, and tradition through design Lead judge Sebastian Cox praised it as "a storytelling piece that connects history, culture, and cuisine," brought to life through its functional and symbolic use. This year’s Bespoke Award highlights the growing potential of timber in creating meaningful, innovative, and impactful designs. Over the coming weeks, we’ll share more about each of the winning projects from this year’s Wood Awards. Keep an eye on our socials for further insights into these exceptional timber design and craftsmanship achievements. Congratulations to the talented team behind the Communion Table and to all this year’s winners for their outstanding contributions to the world of design! 👏 📍 Location: London ✨ Designer: Giles Tettey Nartey 🛠️ Manufacturer: Jan Hendzel 🪵 Wood Supplier: Latham Timber 🌳 Species: American Maple (USA) 🌟 Client: Wallpaper* 🤝 Facilitator: American Hardwood Export Council 📷 Photographer: Jason Yates / CASWORKSLDN Find out more here: https://bit.ly/40YuV63 View all winning projects here: https://bit.ly/4fA8nNu #WoodAwards24 #BespokeDesign #TimberCraftsmanship #CulturalDesign #CommunionTable

🌟 A Night to Remember at the Wood Awards 2024! 🌟 On Wednesday, 20th November, we were thrilled to host the Wood Awards 2024 Ceremony at the beautiful Carpenters’ Hall, where over 200 guests gathered to celebrate the very best in timber design. It was an unforgettable evening, with winners proudly collecting their trophies, highly commended projects receiving their certificates, and lively conversations filling the room as industry leaders, sponsors, the press, and the talented shortlist came together. As always, it was such a pleasure to organise this incredible event and reflect on the exceptional work that continues to push the boundaries of sustainable design. Thank you to everyone who made the evening so special—we couldn’t have done it without you! We can’t wait for Wood Awards 2025 - and in the meantime, be sure to follow our socials for a closer look at each of the outstanding winning projects in the weeks ahead. Continuous thanks to our sponsors who make the Wood Awards possible: the Carpenters' Company, American Hardwood Export Council and Timber Development UK. Additional thanks to Lee Regan and his team at Install Archive for the ceremony design, Denise Senneca for her incredible photography of the occasion and Moe Redish for the beautifully designed trophies. 📸 Denise Senneca 

🌟 Brighton Dome Corn Exchange & Studio Theatre: The UK’s Best Timber Building 🌟 🏆 We are thrilled to announce that the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange & Studio Theatre, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBStudios), has been awarded the prestigious Gold Award at the 2024 Wood Awards! ✨ Set in the heart of historic Regency gardens and adjoining Brighton’s Royal Pavilion, this remarkable retrofit has carefully restored and reimagined two iconic listed buildings. Through meticulous engineering and exceptional craftsmanship, the project celebrates the UK’s timber heritage while preparing this arts centre for the next 100 years. Key highlights: 🌿 Repairing and preserving the UK’s longest single-span timber frame. 🌟 Blending old and new timber to create a warm, welcoming space. 🎭 Enhancing connection, accessibility, and functionality for visitors and performers. This ambitious project won three major awards: 🏛️ Restoration & Reuse 🏗️ Structural Award 🏅 Gold Award 💭 Jim Greaves, Principal at Hopkins Architects and Lead Judge for the Wood Awards, said: “This team has put heart and soul into this endeavour. The Brighton Dome Corn Exchange & Studio Theatre stands as an excellent example of restoration and reuse which we can all learn from. It demonstrates that advanced engineering and skilled craftsmanship, allied with a sensitive approach to design, can deliver a repurposed building fit for the 21st century.” 🥇 The Wood Awards’ building judges, a panel of world-leading professionals, visited all 18 shortlisted buildings before awarding Brighton Dome Corn Exchange & Studio Theatre the top prize in one of the UK’s most rigorous design competitions. 💭 David Hopkins, CEO of Timber Development UK, added: “Timber – and retrofit – have crucial roles in decarbonising construction, and as an organisation we spend a lot of time campaigning, promoting and educating about the role of timber. But there is no substitute for showing examples in practice. All of the winners and the shortlisted projects are incredible examples of British architecture and design, and I know the judging gets more difficult every year – with so many wonderful timber buildings in the UK continuing to emerge." 🤝 The project team includes Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBStudios), Arup, Neil Burke Joinery Ltd., Weitzer Parkett, R Durtnell and Sons Ltd, Westridge Construction Ltd., LT Studio, Jackson Coles, Max Fordham LLP, Charcoalblue & The Fire Surgery. ✨ A huge congratulations to the team behind this inspiring project and to all the winners and shortlisted entries! 📖 Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3OhgJh1 🔗 Find out more about the 2024 winners here: https://bit.ly/4fA8nNu 💚 We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our sponsors: the Carpenters’ Company, American Hardwood Export Council, and Timber Development UK, whose support makes the awards possible. #WoodAwards24 #TimberDesign #Restoration #SustainableArchitecture #BrightonDome

🌟 Celebrating Excellence in Timber Design 🌟 Last night, the Wood Awards 2024 Ceremony lit up the historic Carpenters' Hall, bringing together over 200 guests from shortlisted projects, judges, sponsors, supporters, press, and key figures from the timber industry. It was an extraordinary evening showcasing the beauty, creativity, and sustainability of timber design. We proudly celebrated 14 awards and recognised 11 highly commended projects across the Buildings and Furniture & Product categories: 🪑 Furniture & Product Awards Bespoke 🏆 Winner: Communion 👏 Highly Commended: National Portrait Gallery Bench Production 🏆 Winner: Ebworth Stools 👏 Highly Commended: Aran Lounge Chair Student Designer 🏆 Winner: Karl and Rita 👏 Highly Commended: The Red Loop Windsor Sculptured Object 🏆 Winner: Endless Orbit 👏 Highly Commended: Common Ground 🏛️ Buildings Awards Commercial and Leisure 🏆 Winner: Workstack Education and Public Sector 🏆 Winner: Clare College 👏 Highly Commended: Pembroke Mill Lane (Phase 1), Cambridge Private 🏆 Winner: HIAVEN 👏 Highly Commended: Old School House and Niwa House Small Project 🏆 Winner: Rhodes House Garden Pavilion 👏 Highly Commended: The Drying Shed Sauna Interiors 🏆 Winner: Bough Terrace Restoration and Reuse 🏆 Winner: Brighton Dome Corn Exchange & Studio Theatre Structural Award 🏆 Winner: Brighton Dome Corn Exchange & Studio Theatre 👏 Highly Commended: Workstack Sustainability 🏆 Winner: Haileybury SciTech 👏 Highly Commended: Liberty Woodland School Research and Innovation 🏆 Winner: Uist House 🏅 Gold Award The prestigious Gold Award went to the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange & Studio Theatre. Congratulations to all the winners and highly commended projects for setting new benchmarks in timber design. Thank you to our sponsors: American Hardwood Export Council, the Carpenters' Company, Timber Development UK, supporters, and everyone who attended for making this celebration unforgettable. 🔗 View the full winners and highly commended projects here: https://bit.ly/4fA8nNu #WoodAwards24 📸 Stay tuned for event photos and project highlights!

🌟 Tonight’s the Night! 🌟  This evening, we’re delighted to host the Wood Awards 2024 Ceremony at Carpenters' Hall, where we’ll celebrate the very best in design and craftsmanship. 🎉  We’re excited to welcome the talented individuals and teams behind this year’s Wood Awards 2024 shortlist, as well as our esteemed judges, media partners, guests, and sponsors, whose contributions are integral to the success of the Wood Awards.  It’s been a truly magical year filled with innovation, creativity, and exceptional work, and tonight is all about celebrating you! We can’t wait to toast everyone’s achievements and share this special evening together.  A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors - the American Hardwood Export Council, the Carpenters' Company, and Timber Development UK - for making this celebration possible.  We also extend our deepest gratitude to our esteemed panel of judges: Jim Hopkins, Kirsten Haggart, Nathan Wheatley, Andrew Lawrence, David Morley, Jonas Lencer, Dr Neil Smith, Andy Trotman, Ruth Slavid, Sebastian Cox, Johanna Agerman Ross, Hugo Macdonald, Sophie Sellu, and Caroline Till.  See you all tonight! 🪵✨  #WoodAwards24 #AwardsCeremony #CelebratingWood #DesignAndCraftsmanship  

🌟 We’re just three weeks away from a night of celebration at the Wood Awards 2024 Winners Ceremony, and I couldn’t be more excited! 🏆 This year’s shortlist features an incredible array of projects, from stunning multi-storey CLT workspaces to charming hand-built woodland saunas and innovative low-waste lounge chairs. Each project tells a unique story about the impact of wood in creating a more sustainable built environment. 🌲 As part of the team, I’ve seen firsthand the passion and craftsmanship that go into these remarkable designs. Our distinguished panels of judges made up of some of the UK’s leading architects and designers, have thoroughly assessed each entry, and I can’t wait to see who will take home the honours. ✨ Join us on November 20th at Carpenters’ Hall to celebrate the winners, including the prestigious Gold Award recipient! 📖 Don’t miss Timber Development UK's latest Designing Timber magazine, where you can explore all the shortlisted projects: https://lnkd.in/e9uUTkE2 #WoodAwards24 #TimberDesign #SustainableBuilding #Craftsmanship #DesigningTimber

Yesterday, I visited Oxford to see some of the projects shortlisted for the Wood Awards alongside my fellow judges, Ruth Slavid, Nathan Wheatley, Jim Greaves, David Morley, Kirsten Haggart. Looking forward to more visits of great timber projects in the coming weeks.

🥳 It’s a wrap! Our presence at London Design Festival: In pictures ☀️ Over the weekend, our annual Wood Awards exhibition – along with our partnering exhibitions CascadeUp and Material Matters – proved more popular than ever at London Design Festival (LDF). 🗓️ Every year, London Design Festival receives more than 500,000 visitors over the week. For the third year in a row, we were able to put wood right in the centre of it by showcasing the Wood Awards shortlist at Gallery@OXO in the heart of the Bankside Design District. Each exhibit we partnered with was able to tell a different - yet connected - story on how we can transform our built environment. Thousands of visitors were able to see #CascadeUp (UCL/UK CLT) were able to see this groundbreaking research project which has turned waste wood back into structural timber live and in the flesh. At Material Matters they connected with world-leading brands, designers, makers, manufacturers and organisations who are innovating with materials - from coconut leather to biobased textures - to create a more sustainable design sector - in industries from furniture to fashion. While guests to the Wood Awards were able to learn about the outstanding architecture, structures, furniture items and objects made using wood in the UK, building their understanding of timber. 🎉 We hope that everyone who came to visit, attended one of our talks, or came to the opening night, had an amazing time. 📝 Make sure to sign up to the Wood Awards newsletter, and keep an eye out for the announcement of the 2024 Wood Award winners: https://lnkd.in/eHSWARk8 📖 More pictures and information on the exhibitions is also available on our website here: https://lnkd.in/eCWqkKXf 👇 Did you visit our exhibitions last week? Let us know how you found it in the comments section below, we would love to hear from you.

It was a pleasure to support the BuildZero Research Programme who held an excellent session on making the best use of space and materials at the #CascadeUp stage at London Design Festival yesterday. With a really diverse set of speakers, they were able to discuss key themes and opportunities - from the cultural change helping to drive forward reuse, the practical ways we can transform our built environment, through to some of the challenges holding the circular economy back. A strong theme which ran across the session was the need for close collaboration between #manufacturer, #architect, #engineer, #waste managers and clients - as materials need to be tracked right across the build process to identify opportunities for material reuse. Only through co-operation - between industry, academia, and policy makers, can we ensure that we can create an environment where reuse is seen as the first option, and we can maximise material efficiency. With the UK Government seeking to create 1.5 million homes over the next 5 years, the question of how we can achieve a future where society’s building stock needs can be met with zero raw material extraction, zero carbon and zero waste has never been more pertinent. Of course, the stage from which this discussion took place was a demonstration of exactly this practice. #CasacadeUp shows how we can transform research and bring it to life with UK CLT. The team from #CascadeUp is onsite at Coin Street's OXO Courtyard and Platform for two more days, and will be there to answer all your questions from 12-12.30, and 16-16:30 both today and tomorrow. You can book in to attend a session here - or just pop in and see it for yourself. https://lnkd.in/eXsPkDi7 While you are there, do not miss the incredible 2024 shortlist for the Wood Awards on display over at the Gallery@OXO, along with Material Matters, the only trade fair at this years London Design Festival which has taken over the entirety of Bargehouse with a diverse range of exhibitors. Make sure to give BuildZero Research Programme a follow to keep up with this fascinating research programme - funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) - and which brings together The University of Manchester, University of Cambridge, University of Bath, Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd, and The University of Sheffield. Many thanks to our supporters who helped ensure we could put #CascadeUp on display at this years festival, including Portakabin, UCL, UK CLT, EURBAN Limited, and Timber Development UK.