Wood Awards 2014 shortlist unveiled

20 October 2014 Sustainable construction

A shortlist of 30 projects has been selected from a record entry of over 300 British architecture and furniture projects in the national Wood Awards 2014 – the UK’s premier award scheme celebrating excellence in design in wood.

PEFC UK, in partnership with the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC), is a key sponsor of this year's Wood Awards. The Wood Awards is the UK's premier award scheme with a 40 year record of supporting excellence in the use of timber in architecture, building design and furniture. The awards recognize, encourage and promote outstanding design, craftsmanship and installation using wood throughout the UK and has an ever-growing credibility within the design community.

The Wood Awards fly the flag for wood in the best of British architecture, furniture and design. This year’s 30-strong shortlist features unique private houses, stunning small projects, outstanding restorations and impressive commercial and public buildings.

The Building shortlist includes projects as diverse in size and scope as the new Middle Drawbridge at the Tower of London by GMT Timber Frames using green and air-dried oak, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – a new indoor Jacobean theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe in London by McCurdy & Co using English and European oak, European redwood, whitewood and spruce, Hugh Strange’s Architecture Archive in Somerset using Stora Enso/Eurban PEFC-certified spruce cross laminated timber with locally sourced cedar, ash and beech, The Moor Market in Sheffield by Leslie Jones Architecture with B&K Structures using Western red cedar and European PEFC-certified spruce glulam and the Endless Stair by dRMM Architects – a major feature of last year’s London Design Festival using new developments in cross laminated hardwood to create a unique structure from American tulipwood.

The winners of the Wood Awards categories and the recipient of the Wood Awards Arnold Laver Gold Award for the ‘winner of winners’ will be announced on the 18th November at a reception in London hosted by the Worshipful Company of Carpenters, and the Wood Awards 2014 supplement will be published in RIBA Journal’s December issue.

The Wood Awards judging panel includes Hugh Pearman, editor of RIBA Journal, Jim Greaves of Hopkins Architects, Andrew Lawrence from Arup, David Morley, Adam Khan, architectural writer Ruth Slavid, timber engineering consultant Nathan Wheatley from Engenuiti and craft specialist John Wilkie and the panel is supported by timber industry consultant Michael Buckley. Sean Sutcliffe of Benchmark Furniture leads the furniture judging panel of John Makepeace, Rod Wales and Katie Walker.

The Wood Awards is only made possible by the major sponsorship of the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), the Carpenters’ Company, TRADA and Wood for Good. Other sponsors include American Softwoods, BRE and the Forestry Commission. New from 2014 is the combined sponsorship of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) with the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC), and the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) as a supporter. The Wood Awards Gold Award is sponsored by Arnold Laver.

Full details of all sponsors and information on the Wood Awards can be found at www.woodawards.com.