The wood awards – where skill intersects sustainability

18 April 2018


The Wood Awards not only celebrates latest advances and new design directions in the use of timber in construction and manufacture, it’s also an valuable interface between the design and specifier sectors and the timber trade, writes David Miles, chief executive officer of Gold Sponsor Mears plc

Mears is one of the UK’s leading providers of housing repairs and maintenance services and for 30 years has been supporting public sector housing providers to deliver exceptional service.

More recently we have extended our offering to include housing management and development and we are now recognised as significant contributors in delivering these services.

Our commitment to the highest standards of quality and customer service is supported by our staff and suppliers and hence our association with the 2018 Wood Awards is a natural decision. We are major purchasers and users of timber products and our partnerships with our suppliers underpin our support of these awards.

Wood is now seen as the most sustainable of construction materials and whether it’s roof trusses, windows or fencing timber, it offers the ideal solution for so many of our projects.

The high quality of projects that are consistently shortlisted in the Wood Awards is something we see great value in and is huge cause for celebration. From buildings to small objects, each project reflects craftsmanship and design excellence. And when the sustainability factor of wood intersects with such a high level of skilled talent, it’s hard not be drawn in.

The 2018 Wood Awards launched the call for entries during a buzzy reception last month at the Building Centre where representatives of the design and specification sector mingled with trade.

In September keep an eye out for the exhibition of shortlisted entries, and in November, of course, the final presentation ceremony, which is held at the prestigious Carpenters’ Hall in the City of London.

These types of events help members of the timber sector keep in touch with construction design trends, while simultaneously assisting architects and designers to stay connected with the latest innovations in the world’s only naturally sustainable material.

Anyone involved in a UK project completed in the last two years can enter the Wood Awards (with the permission of the owner).

As with many awards schemes it is the architects and the designers that seem to be the main stakeholders entering projects. But it’s worth noting that the timber supplier and joinery companies are also acknowledged, along with the main contractor, engineer and architect/ designer in the winners’ lists and they are equally at liberty, and should be encouraged, to put forward projects they’ve supplied and worked on.

And unlike many awards schemes, the Wood Awards is free to enter. Various industry bodies provide sponsorship support, an important factor in keeping the Wood Awards accessible to all.

Our Mears Group Gold Award is for the project, or item, the judges deem to be the best of all the category winners combined.

David Miles, chief executive officer of Gold Sponsor Mears plc