Savill Building wins gold in Wood Awards

The building, designed by Glenn Howell Architects and owned by the Crown Estate, features a leaf-shaped timber floating roof. European larch and English oak from Windsor Forest were used in the project, together with Scandinavian spruce LVL and birch plywood.

Sir Michael Lord, deputy speaker of the House of Commons, presented the prizes at the Wood Awards ceremony in London's Carpenters' Hall on Wednesday. Sir Michael, a past president of The Arboricultural Association, said he was thrilled to see the use of wood being revived.

The Savill Building, described as “most impressive” and “superb” by the judges, won the Commercial & Public Access and Structural categories before winning the Gold Award by a unanimous decision.

Holly Barn in Norfolk by Knox Bhavan won the Private category, while the repair and re-shingling of the spire and tower at St Mary & All Saints Church in Dunsfold scooped the Conservation/Restoration category.

The Offsite Manufacture award, new for 2006, saw victory for Roche Products' new head office in Welwyn Garden City, designed by the Building Design Partnership.

The project also won an Innvoation award for its bespoke cavity-ventilated walling system in solid Amercian white oak - the first installed in the UK.

Also new for 2006, the Furniture category was won by Katie Walker's rippled ash Ribbon Rocking Chair, which also won an Innovation award.

Westarchitecture's suspended mezzanine in a living space in London was Small Project award winner.

The best use of British timber prize was presented to the Green Oak Carpentry Company.

In all, 33 projects were shortlisted from 206 entries.

“2006 was another year of record entries and spectactular quality of work for the Wood Awards,” said awards organiser Michael Buckley.