As chairman of the Wood Awards judges for the past five years, Giles Downes of Sidell Gibson has viewed more than one thousand stunning examples of timber construction, joinery and furniture, but each year's fresh round of entries never fails to impress.
The 2008 entries were no different, as Downes and his fellow judges had the unenviable task of whittling down the 200 or so entries to a shortlist of 29.
"Each year the quality of the entries is extremely impressive, and this year is no exception," he said.
The projects were selected in five main categories – Commercial & Public Access, Structural, Private, Conservation & Restoration and Furniture – and four discretionary awards – Offsite Construction, Best Small Project, Best Use of British Timber and, introduced this year, Best Use of Panel Products.
The fine range of private houses demonstrated the
continuing trend for timber cladding and interiors for the home, and, although not shortlisted, timber framed supermarkets for ASDA, Tesco and Sainsbury were evidence of the growing awareness of timber's sustainability credentials, said Downes.
The furniture category also attracted critical praise. Furniture judge Luke Hughes was particularly taken by the "outstanding range of innovative ideas" from new designers.
And the painstaking work in the Conservation &_Restoration category demonstrates not only skilful craftsmanship, but the UK's rich heritage in timber architecture, as well as wood's potential to be repaired, rather than replaced.
The winners will be announced on October 15 at the presentation ceremony in the Carpenters' Hall, London.
The Wood Awards 2008 are sponsored by the American Hardwood Export Council, BRE, British Woodworking Federation, Carpenters' Company, ConFor, English Heritage, Forestry Commission, German Timber, Ghana Forestry Commission, Historic Scotland, the Institute of Carpenters, Institute of Wood Science, Malaysian Timber Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, TRADA, The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, Timber Trade Federation, Timber Trades Journal, UK Forest Products Association, Western Red Cedar Export Association, and wood for good.
Commercial & Public Access
Anglesey Abbey Visitor Centre, Lode, Cambridgeshire. Cowper Griffith Architects. Featuring North American western red cedar
Baden-Powell Outdoor Centre, Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour. Wilkinson King Architects. Featuring western red cedar, hemlock, birch and birch ply (also Best Use of Panel Products)
Avenham Park Pavilion, Preston, Lancashire. McChesney Architects. Featuring glulam beams, spruce plywood and Douglas fir (also Best Use of Panel Products)
Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Culloden, Inverness. Gareth Hoskins Architects. Featuring Scottish larch and European oak (also Best Use of British Timber; Best Use of Panel Products)
Kielder Observatory, Kielder Water and Forest Park, Northumberland. Charles Barclay Architects. Featuring North American Douglas fir, Siberian larch, European pine, spruce and birch plywoods
Arundel Castle – Arun Fountain, Oberon's Palace, domed pergolas, the Italian door, Arundel, West Sussex. Architectural Oak Ltd. Featuring English oak and cedar (also Best Use of British Timber)
New Shetland Museum & Archives, Lerwick, Shetland Isles. BDP. Featuring Siberian larch and English oak (also Best Use of Panel Products; Best Use of British Timber)
Structural
Aston Martin Design Studio, Gaydon, Warwickshire. Weedon Partnership. Featuring Swiss oak and Austrian spruce (also Best Use of Panel Products)
Sunderland Aquatic Centre, Sunderland. Wiehag Timber Construction. Featuring glulam (Austrian spruce)
The Stadthaus, Murray Grove, London. Waugh Thistleton Architects. Featuring Austrian spruce (also Best Use of Panel Products; Offsite Construction) photo: waugh thistleton architects
Private
Halligan House, St Albans. Simon Conder Associates. Featuring European redwood (also Best Use of Panel Products)
Herringbone Houses, Wandsworth, London. Alison Brooks Architects. Featuring ipe
Lant Street, London. Dow Jones Architects. Featuring European white oak
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Best Small Project: Pembridge House, Notting Hill, London |
Pencanlenick House, Cornwall. Seth Stein Architects. Featuring English cedar, English elm and glulam (also Best Use of British Timber)
Trees, Ubley, Somerset. RD Architects Ltd. Featuring western red cedar (also Best Use of Panel Products)
Furniture
Console table, Windsor. Andrew Lawton Furniture. Featuring European walnut
Cope Chest, Tewkesbury. Tewkesbury Abbey. Featuring European oak
Guardian Hay Festival table & chair collection, Hay-on-Wye. Philip Koomen Furniture. Featuring North American red oak
The Sleeping Dragon, Bedfordshire. chaircreative. Featuring European oak
Conservation & Restoration
Whitestaunton Manor, White- staunton, Somerset. Jonathan Rhind Architects. Featuring English oak (also Best Use of British Timber)
Out of the Hat, Tewkes- bury, Gloucestershire. Architecton. Featuring English oak and English ash (also Best Use of Panel Products; Best Use of British Timber)
St Andrew's Church, Winterborne Tomson, Dorset. Philip Hughes Associates. Featuring English oak (also Best Use of British Timber)
Best Use of Panel Products
MK40 Tower, Milton Keynes. dRMM. Featuring spruce and fir (also Best Small Project)
Taylor Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Wright &_Wright Architects. Featuring European oak
Best Use of British Timber
New North Gallery, Bloomsbury. Sinclair Johnston & Partners Ltd. Featuring English oak, Latvian birch, Brazilian mahogany (also Best Small Project; Best Use of Panel Products)
Offsite Construction
Bourbon Lane, White City, London. Cartwright Pickard Architects. Featuring Siberian larch (also Best Use of Panel Products)
Eco Funnel, Eburne Road, London. Charles Barclay Architects. Featuring spruce and Douglas fir (also Best Use of Panel Products)
Best Small Project
Pembridge House, Notting Hill, London. Westarchitecture. Featuring American white oak
Lindisfarne Castle Ticket Hut, Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland. Simpson & Brown. Featuring French oak
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Offsite Construction: Bourbon Lane, White City, London |
