The Wood Awards is delighted to announce the buildings, furniture items and objects shortlisted for this year’s Wood Awards, which includes a bright red 170m water-crossing and a majestic 20-seat oak banqueting table.
The 30 shortlisted projects, which are in the running for awards in six different building categories and four furniture and object categories, are located across the United Kingdom, from the Cornish coast to the Lake District National Park.
Among the 20 shortlisted buildings is a barrel-vaulted extension to Westminster’s coroner’s court and a redevelopment of a historic water mill on the River Test in Hampshire.
The shortlist also features a new CLT-framed social housing terrace by Hackney Council and a vibrant performing arts hub in Camden showcasing both reused and engineered timber.
The 10 shortlisted furniture and object projects include a freestanding demountable Douglas fir kitchen and a collection of sculptural vessels, handcrafted from local hardwoods.
A playful steam-bent ash rocking chair and an innovative jetty structure made from forest thinnings are also shortlisted.
From over 200 entries, the shortlisted projects have been carefully selected by two expert juries.
The Wood Awards buildings jury is led by architect Jim Greaves, and includes fellow architects Kirsten Haggart, Jonas Lencer, Sasha Bhavan and David Morley, structural engineers Andrew Lawrence, Nathan Wheatley and Andrew Trotman, architectural journalist Ruth Slavid and sustainability expert Neil Smith.
The furniture and objects jury is led by designer and maker Sebastian Cox RDI and includes design consultant Caroline Till, curators Hugo Macdonald and Johanna Agerman Ross, woodworker Sophie Sellu and Ercol chairman Henry Tadros.
The full shortlist will be on display in a dedicated exhibition at Space House in London as part of Material Matters, from Wednesday 17 – Saturday 20 September.
Each shortlisted project will be reviewed in person by our judges, making the Wood Awards a uniquely rigorous competition. The winner of each project category will be announced live at an evening ceremony on Wednesday, 19 November at Carpenters’ Hall in London. All category winners will then compete for the prestigious Gold Award.
As a not-for-profit competition, the Wood Awards is made possible by the generous support of its sponsors and partners: Carpenters’ Company, American Hardwood Export Council and Timber Development UK.
All shortlisted projects are listed below, each with a link to a dedicated page on the Wood Awards website, where images and more information can be found about the projects.
Jim Greaves, head of the Buildings judging panel, says: “Chosen from over 80 entries, these 20 shortlisted projects have undergone a rigorous selection process. The judges review all the entries and assess them for their creative use of wood together with the technical skill involved and the approach to environmental issues.
“The shortlisted schemes have managed to be the ‘best-in-class’ this year. Annually, I’m impressed by how project teams’ deal with ever increasing technical and regulatory constraints and still manage to deliver beautiful and well thought through projects.”
David Hopkins, CEO of Timber Development UK (lead organisers of the Wood Awards), says: “This year’s Wood Awards shortlist demonstrates that timber is unmatched when it comes to creating beautiful, versatile, and sustainable buildings and objects.
“From bold commercial projects to sensitive transformations of existing buildings, and inventive temporary structures, each shortlisted entry highlights the power of wood to connect people with nature and elevate the places we live and work in.
“Every building and furniture piece tells its own story, but all share a deep respect for timber’s unique properties – embracing this material to create a low-carbon future and a better-built environment.
“The benefits of choosing to create with timber is echoed in the response of those who live in or alongside these projects – who consistently tell us how timber enriches their spaces and experiences.
“This is a key reason TDUK are incredibly proud to run the Wood Awards, for the fourth year this year. No other competition in the UK matches its rigour as a showcase of excellence in timber design and construction.
“Congratulations to everyone shortlisted. We look forward to welcoming you to explore the exhibition at Material Matters later this month – and to celebrating the winners at our awards ceremony in November.”
