Wood Awards 2015 Winners Announced
The Fishing Hut
The winners of the 44th annual Wood Awards: Excellence in Architecture & Product Design were announced by broadcaster and architectural historian Mr. Tom Dyckhoff at Carpenters’ Hall on 10th November. The Fishing Hut by Niall McLaughlin Architects netted the Arnold Laver Gold Award, the Winner of Winners, as well as being top in the Private category. Built as a secure place to store boats and fishing tackle, it also serves as a meeting place and shelter for anglers. The judges thought that the project was delightful and even remarked “who wouldn’t want one of these?”.
Winner of the Commercial & Leisure category was Constellations Bar in Liverpool – a collaboration between brothers Hugh and Howard Miller, a furniture maker and a practicing architect.
Arcadia Nursery by Malcolm Fraser Architects in Edinburgh won the Education and Public Sector category for its intelligent use of space and the feeling of calm and contentment – remarkable in a building for the under-fives!
The Studio by Bradley van der Straeten won the Existing Building category. The Studio was inspired by time spent in a VW campervan and self-built by the architects.
The Interiors award was taken home by Hopkins Architects for Bryanston School’s new Tom Wheare Music School in Dorset. The judges praised the use of a single timber for most of the auditorium finishes and the care that had been taken with detailing.
The Observatory: The Study & The Workshop by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios was the winner of the Small Project category. The Observatory comprises two prefabricated cabins, an artist’s studio (The Study) and a public shelter (The Workshop) that can be transported to remote landscapes and coastal locations in the UK.
The Structural Award went to Canary Wharf Crossrail station by Foster & Partners for its magnificent roof. In recognition for its speed and size a Special Award was given to the BSkyB Believe in Better Building education facility by Arup Associates.
This year the judges felt that the projects in the Bespoke Furniture & Product category were so strong that two Bespoke awards were given. Endgrain by RawEdges Design Studio received a Wood Award for the exciting use of colour, while Ves-el by Gareth Neal in Collaboration with Zaha Hadid won for its process and sculptural finish.
New for 2015 was the Student Designer Furniture & Product category with prizes of £1,000 for winner and £500 for people’s choice. Winner of the category was Royal College of Art graduate Simin Qiu’s End Grain Stationery set inspired by the wooden floor of the Barbican theatre. The Student Designer People’s Choice Award went to Emma Leslie for her Slatted Chair, made whilst studying at the Building Crafts College.
Further information can be found on the Wood Awards website.
