Westminster Hall Roof and Lantern, one of the shortlisted projects in the Building category (Donald Insall Associates). © Thomas Erskine & Donald Insall Associates.
TWENTY buildings and fourteen furniture projects have been shortlisted for this year’s Wood Awards – which celebrate excellence and innovation in timber architecture and design.
From over 200 projects entered, this shortlist of 34 entries celebrates the diversity and creativity of buildings and furniture made using the world’s foremost sustainable and renewable material — wood.
A seafront visitor centre, a concert hall, and an office complex are among the shortlisted buildings for the 2023 Wood Awards, while lathe-turned lamps, a table-cum-musical instrument and a community-built table set are among the furniture and product projects.
The Awards are split into two main categories, Furniture & Product and Buildings. Buildings are split into: Commercial & Leisure, Education & Public Sector, Interior, Private Sector, Small Project, and Restoration & Reuse. Within Furniture & Product, there are three subcategories: Bespoke, Production Made and Student Designer.
Spanning significant public spaces, forward-thinking offices, and unique private homes, the twenty shortlisted structures in the Buildings category provide a snapshot of exemplary and progressive timber architecture.
Shortlisted projects for the Building Categories of the Wood Awards 2023 include Westminster Hall Roof and Lantern, London (Donald Insall Associates), pictured here. This heritage conservation project has expertly repaired and rebuilt Westminster Hall’s exquisite medieval hammer beam roof and lantern.
Jim Greaves, Head of the Building Judges says: “Selected from over ninety entries, this impressive shortlist reveals the best use of timber in construction today and demonstrates that wood truly is a material of continuous change and innovation. Our panel of judges will now visit each shortlisted building to determine this year’s winners — and select a stand-out project to receive the prestigious Gold Award. This rigorous process is one of the things that makes the Wood Awards the highest accolade in the UK timber industry.”
The Sound of Wood (George Richarson). © Carmel King.
The fourteen shortlisted Furniture & Product items include The Sound of Wood, London (George Richarson), pictured here. Using a colourful array of seventeen native and UK-grown woods, this engaging and playful project combines two passions: furniture and music.
Corinne Julius, Head of the Furniture & Product Judges says: “Wood is a wonderful and often underrated, sustainable material. It’s a taken-for-granted material that deserves more respect. The Wood Awards are intended to showcase to the public the beauty and versatility of wood and highlight its ability to connect us to the natural world. They also aim to inspire the industry, designers, makers, and students to gain a better understanding of wood in its myriad forms in order to create beautiful, intelligent products for an increasingly discriminating public.”
The winners of the Wood Awards will be announced on 22 November during an Evening Ceremony at Carpenter’s Hall.
As a not-for-profit competition, the Wood Awards can only happen with collaborative industry sponsorship. A huge thank you for continued support from Carpenters Company, American Hardwood Export Council and Timber Development UK.
See page 11 of our October/November 2023 issue on our Back Issues page.
