Shortlist announced: Best of British design to go head-to-head in 2015 Wood Awards

An eye-catching and creative range of buildings and products have made it onto the shortlist of entrants competing for a prize in this year’s Wood Awards.

A total of 20 building projects, large and small, representing some of the UK’s best architectural designs in wood, and 10 product designs will be striving to come out a winner in the 2015 Wood Awards Buildings Competition, and its Furniture and Product Competition.
The final winners will be announced at the 44th annual Wood Awards ceremony at Carpenters’ Hall on 10 November by host Tom Dyckhoff.
Categories in the building competition include: commercial and leisure; education and public sector; existing buildings; interiors; private; and small projects. What the entries to these categories have in common is that they strive to represent the highest expression of design, creativity and implementation of wood as a sustainable building material.
“With so many excellent projects, the most difficult part of the judging is the shortlisting,” said Michael Morrison, who returns as chairman of judges for the rest of the year. “However, once the shortlisting is completed the most interesting part of the process begins with every project receiving a visit from at least two of the judges. The visits are a real pleasure, enabling the judges to see the terrific use that is being made of timber, the high quality designs and excellence of craftsmanship which is on display.”
The winners of the furniture and product competition will be announced at the same event, and it features four bespoke designs, three production designs, and three students designs on the shortlist.
“It’s exciting to be part of this important awards process and even more exciting to see the extremely high-quality work that comes through,” said design curator and author, Max Fraser, who led the judging panel. “The UK is producing great design in wood, and this year all the judges were especially delighted to view work from the new student category.”
The shortlisted entrants are listed below:
Buildings Competition:
COMMERCIAL & LEISURE
BskyB Believe In Better Building, London
Architect: Arup Associates
Structural Engineer: Arup Associates, Eugenuiti
Main contractor/Builder: Mace
Timber frame supplier: B&K Stuctures
Interior Joinery: Taylor Made Joinery Interiors Ltd
Wood supplier: Rubner Holzbau GmbH, Binderhol
Client/Owner: BskyB
Wood species: Austrian Spruce, Birch from Sweden and Finland, British Oak

Canary Wharf Crossrail, London
Architect: Foster + Partners
Structural Engineer: Wiehag, Seele, Arup Associates
Main contractor/builder: Canary Wharf Contractors
Landscape consultants: Gillespies
Wood supplier: Wiehag
Client/Owner: Canary Wharf Group
Wood species: Spruce

Constellations Bar, Liverpool
Architect: Howard Miller Design
Structural engineer: Materian Ltd
Main contractor/builder: H Miller Bros
Joinery company: Hugh Miller Furniture
Wood supplier: Materian Ltd
Client/owner: Constellations
Wood species: Welsh Green Oak, TR26 softwood roofing timber, OSB3 boards

EDUCATION & PUBLIC SECTOR
Arcadia Nursery, Edinburgh
Architect: Malcolm Fraser Architects
Structural engineer: AED
Main contractor/builder: Balfour Beatty
Wood supplier: Stora Enso, Lignotrend, Russwood, Natural Building Technologies
Client/owner: University of Edinburgh
Wood species: Austrian Spruce, Siberian Larch, Scottish Larch

Bryanston School: The Tom Wheare Music School, Blandford Forum, Dorset
Architect: Hopkins Architects
Structural engineer: Expedition Engineering Ltd
Main contractor/builder: Midas
Joinery company: Input Joinery
Environment/M&E Engineers: AECOM
Acoustic engineers: Gilleron Scott Acoustic Design
Wood supplier: Gariff Construction Ltd
Client/owner: Bryanston School
Wood species: Douglas Fir, American White Oak, Spruce

Keynsham Civic Centre and One Stop Shop, Keynsham, Somerset
Architect: AHR
Structural engineer: Hydrock
Main contractor/builder: Willmott Dixon Construction
Structural frame contractor: B&K Structures
Wood supplier: Junckers, Krone
Client/owner: Bath & North East Somerset Council
Wood species: Spruce, Oak

Maggie’s Oxford, Oxford
Architect: Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Structural engineer: Alan Baxter Associates, Mensawood
Main contractor/builder: Jackson’s Building Contractors
MEP Engineers: KJ Tait Engineers
Wood supplier: Merk Timber
Client/owner: Maggie’s
Wood species: Norway Spruce, White Fir, Scots Pine, European Larch, Douglas Fir, Swiss Stone Pine, European Oak, Birch plywood, Scandinavian kiln dried softwood thermowood

The Level, Brighton
Architect: Knox Bhavan Architects
Structural engineer: Price & Myers
Client/Owner: Brighton & Hove City Council
Wood species: European Larch, Douglas Fir, European Oak

EXISTING BUILDING
Pod Gallery, West Littleton
Architect: Stonewood Design
Structural engineer: Structurelle
Main contractor/builder: Stonewood Builders
Joinery company: Oakwrights
Wood supplier: Dinesen
Wood species: Oak, Birch plywood, marine plywood, softwood

The Master’s House, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Architect: Butler Hegarty Architects
Structural engineer: Hockley and Dawson Consulting Engineers
Main contractor/builder: Speller Metcalfe
Joinery company: Splitlath Building Conservation
Interior joinery: Woodcraft Joinery Ltd
Wood supplier: OakbeamUK
Client/owner: Herefordshire County Council
Wood species: European Oak, Green Oak, Russian Birch plywood, European Beech

The Studio, London
Architect: Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects
Structural engineer: DMC Consulting Engineers Ltd
Main contractor/builder: Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects
Wood supplier: Lathams
Wood species: Siberian Birch plywood, American Red Oak

INTERIORS
Hult International Business School, London
Architect: Sergison Bates Architects
Structural engineer: Price & Myers
Main contractor/builder: Rooff Ltd
Joinery company: TJS, Adcon
Furniture designer/maker: Simon Jones Studio
Graphic designer: Graphic Thought Facility
Wood supplier: Brooks Bros (UK) Ltd
Client/owner: Hult International Business School
Wood species: Douglas Fir from USA, Elliotis Pine plywood from Brazil

Spathroom, London
Architect: Paul McAneary Architects
Wood supplier: Mundy Veneer Ltd
Wood species: Teak

PRIVATE
Dundon Passivhaus, Compton Dundon, Somerset
Architect: Prewett Bizley Architects
Structural engineer: Structural Solutions
Joinery company: Allwood
Staircase: Fowler & Co
Interiors: Heartwood Cabinet Makers Ltd
Wood supplier: Luton Green Sawmill
Wood species: Green Oak, European Oak, Birch plywood, Pine, softwood

Sussex House, Sussex
Architect: Wilkinson King Architects
Structural engineer: Price & Myers, Packman Lucas
Main contractor/builder: Westbridge Construction Ltd
CLT manufacturer: KLH UK Ltd
Wood supplier: Vincent Timber
Wood species: Spruce, Western Red Cedar, engineered Oak

The Fishing Hut, Hampshire
Architect: Niall McLaughlin Architects
Structural engineer: Price & Myers
Main contractor/builder: Inwood Developments Ltd
Electrical engineers: R S Birch and Partners
Plumbing/heating contractors: Design Heat Winchester
Wood supplier: E C Forest Products, East Brothers Timber Ltd
Wood species: European oak from France, Douglas Fir from Southern England

SMALL PROJECT
Flower Kiosk, London
Architect: Buchanan Partnership
Structural engineer: Tall Consulting Structural Engineers
Main contractor/builder: Studio Hardies
Joinery company: Studio Hardie
Wood supplier: Timbmet
Client/owner: Moutgrange Heritage and the Cundall Partnership
Wood species: Accoya three-layer sandwich board TEC engineered wood component, Germany

Helix, London
Architect: Royal College of Art architect students
Structural engineer: AKTII
Main contractor/builder: Millimetre
Joinery company: Millimetre
Environmental design: Max Fordham,
Wood supplier: Sydenhams Ltd, Lathams
Client/owner: Imperial College,
Wood species: Kerto-S LVL from Finland, WISA-spruce and WISA-birch plywood from Europe, European engineered Oak

Long Sutton Studio, Lon Sutton, Hampshire
Architect: Cassion Castle Architects
Structural engineer: Structure Workshop
Wood supplier: Honeysuckle Bottom Sawmill
Timber frame supplier: Kingston Craftsmen
Wood species: Green Oak, glulam, plywood

The Observatory: The Study and The Workshop, various (currently Lymington Salt Marshes)
Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Main contractor/builder: S&S Construction
Engineer: Unitspark Ltd
Wood supplier: Lathams
Client/owner: SPUD (Spaces, Placemaking and Urban Design)
Wood species: Siberian Larch, native home grown Larch, Canadian Western Red Cedar, native home grown Chestnut, European Oak, Coillte smartply, structural softwood, Tricoya, Accoya

Furniture and Products Competition:
BESPOKE:
Endgrain
Designer: Raw Edges
Wood supplier: Jennor Timber
Wood species: Jelutong, Southern Yellow Pine, Cypress veneer

From Greenwich to the Barrier and Perpetually Ajar
Designer: David Gates
Wood species: Quarter sawn European oak, brown oak, bog oak, American maple, cedar of Lebanon, Douglas fir

Getting Away From It All
Designer: Sebastian Cox
Maker/Manufacturer: Benchmark Furniture
Wood supplier: Lathams, Tyler Hardwoods
Client/Owner: Terence Conran as part of the Wish List project
Wood species: American Cherry, American Red Oak

Ve-Sel
Designer: Gareth Neal
Maker/Manufacturer: Benchmark Furniture
Wood supplier: Lathams
Client/Owner: Zaha Hadid as part of the Wish List project
Wood species: American White Oak

PRODUCTION
A Stool for the Kitchen
Designer: Felix de Pass
Maker/Manufacturer: Benchmark Furniture
Client/Owner: Alison Brooks as part of the Wish List project
Wood supplier: Lathams
Wood species: America Cherry

Aero Trestle Table
Designer: Catherine Aitken and David Murphy
Maker/Manufacturer: Edinburgh Sculpture Workshops
Funded by: Edward Marshall Trust
Client/Owner: Edinburgh Sculpture Workshops
Wood supplier: Falkirk Wood, Lathams
Wood species: Solid Scottish Ash, Aero Ply, Birch plywood

Alpha Chair
Designer: Brodie Neill
Maker/ Manufacturer: Made in Ratio
Wood supplier: Various
Wood species: Solid ash, solid ebonised ash and solid walnut

STUDENT DESIGNER
End Grain Stationery
Designer: Simin Qiu
College/University: Royal College of Art
Wood species: Pine

Slatted Chair
Designer: Emma Leslie
College/University: Building Crafts College
Wood species: Maple, Cherry

Throne Stool and Pew Stool
Designer: Torsten Sherwood
College/University: London Metropolitan University
Wood supplier: Timber Cut 4 U
Wood species: European Beech