This year's Wood Awards provides a tremendous showcase for the use of timber in UK building

More entries, new categories and the longest ever shortlist. Small wonder the organisers and judges describe this year's Wood Awards as the biggest and best to date.

It was said last year, but it applies even more so this time around, the Awards also show that timber is being used more extensively, in greater variety and with ever more ambition in UK construction.

In total the competition attracted 206 entries and the judges eventually managed to whittle these down to a shortlist, although some might consider that a slight misnomer as it comprises 33 projects.

Adding to the interest this year, there is a new “Offsite Award”, with the shortlist for this comprising Building Design Partnership's new head office for Roche in Welwyn Garden City, a feast of American white oak, birch and Canadian maple, and the SIXTYK consortium's SIPs-based entry in the government's competition challenging builders to develop a £60,000 house (see pp4-6).

The other new departure is the Furniture Award, a natural extension, it was felt, to the existing categories recognising exceptional use of timber and wood products in structural and interior applications. This, say the judges, has also attracted some remarkable work – hence the fact that this Award has the longest shortlist, with entries ranging from the fiddle-back sycamore Lotus Table from Andrew Varah, to the debating chamber furniture for the National Assembly of Wales designed by Ben Dawson Furniture and entered by the Richard Rogers Partnership.

“The new category, which we launched with the support of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, has been very exciting,” said Wood Awards organiser Michael Buckley. “The phenomenal standard of work really á

Ü underlines the strength of the UK's semi-bespoke and bespoke middle to high end furniture sector.”

The main architectural-based categories this year attracted a similarly wide variety of projects. The shortlist for Commercial and Private Access, for instance, includes Hopkins Architects’ simple, but perfectly formed Broughton Hall Pavilion at one end of the scale and the symphony in wood – including American hard maple and English oak – that is Burrell Foley Fisher's Menuhin Hall.

“Not only were the projects very diverse, we've got wood in every shape and form,” said Buckley. “We've got tropical and temperate hardwood, a huge range of softwood – and MDF and plywood also feature. It's not just about solid wood joinery.”

The other Awards categories are Structural, Small Project, Conservation/Restoration, and Private. In addition the judges present Innovation and Best Use of British Timber Awards at their discretion.

The following pages show all 33 of the shortlisted entries, summed up by chairman of the judges, Giles Downes of Sidell Gibson Architects, as a “huge testament to the use of wood in buildings”. The winners will be announced on October 18 at the presentation ceremony in the Carpenters' Hall in London. So place your bets now!

• The Wood Awards is backed by 22 sponsors, led by the American Hardwood Export Council, the Carpenters’ Company, the Forestry Commission and wood for good.

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Commercial & Public Access projects

The Menuhin Hall, Yehudi Menuhin School, Stoke D'Albernon. Entered by Burrell Foley Fisher. Featuring American hard maple, English oak, birch ply and MDF

PHOTO: Dennis gilbert

National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff, entered by Richard Rogers Partnership and featuring European oak 

PHOTO: Richard Bryant Arcaid

Broughton Hall Pavilion, Skipton. Entered by Hopkins Architects, featuring western red cedar, pitch pine and American oak

PHOTO: Simon Miles

Structural category

The Savill Building, Windsor PHOTO: WARWICK SWEENEY

The Core at The Eden Project, St Austell. Entered by Grimshaw. Featuring Swiss spruce glulam and Canadian red cedar photo: sophia milligan

The pavilion and visitor centre, Alnwick Garden Trust. Entered by Hopkins Architects and Benchmark, featuring larch

Private category

Willow House, London. Entered by Reid Architects, featuring English kiln-dried oak and European green oak

Beechcroft, Hereford. Entered by RRA Architects, featuring cedar and western red cedar

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER PREECE

Holly Barn, Norfolk. Entered by Knox Bhavan, featuring iroko, Siberian larch and oak PHOTO: KNOX BHAVAN

Conservation/Restoration category

Malthouse Barn, Boden Vean, Cornwall. Entered by MJ Robinson & Co. Boden Vean oak, Cornish oak, sweet chestnut, locally sourced ash and larch, Somerset pear, Devon elm, European oak and reclaimed eucalyptus

Saint Mary All Saints Church spire and tower, Dunsfold. Entered by The John Deal Practice. Featuring English oak

Biddulph Old Hall, Staffordshire. Entered by Hetherington Newman Brown. Featuring French oak

Small Project category

Kenilworth Castle admissions building. Entered by Price & Myers. Featuring English and European green oak

Hesmonds Barn, East Sussex. Entered by Hailsham Joinery and Westgate Joinery.  Featuring English and French oak photo: leigh simpson

Suspended mezzanine living space, London. Entered by Westarchitecture. Featuring Finnish birch-faced plywood and ash     photo: peter cook

Offsite category

Roche head office, Welwyn Garden City. Entered by Building Design Partnership. Featuring American white oak, birch and Canadian maple

SIXTYK Consortium £60,000 prototype house. Entered by Crest Nicholson. Featuring the structural insulated panel (SIPs)-based TEK Building System from Kingspan Century

Furniture

Collectors Cabinets in English walnut, American birdseye maple and walnut. Entered by Phil Koomen Furniture

National Assembly of Wales debating chamber furniture in European oak. Entered by Richard Rogers Partnership

Lotus Table in fiddle-back sycamore. Entered by Andrew Varah PHOTO: paul lapsley