Established in 1971, the Wood Awards is the UK’s premier competition for excellence in architecture and product design in wood. The competition is free to enter and aims to encourage and promote outstanding timber design, craftsmanship and installation. The independent judging panel visits all the shortlisted projects in person, making this a uniquely rigorous competition. The Awards are split into two main categories: Buildings and Furniture & Product. Within the Buildings category there are five subcategories and a Structural Award. Furniture & Product is split into Bespoke and Production. The Gold Award is given to the project that the judges deem to be the winner of winners.
The Gold Award winner this year is Magdalene College Library in Cambridge. The project also won the Education & Public Sector category award.
“Magdalene College Library is a tour de force of architectural design and achievement,” said Jim Greaves, judge. “The different forms of the reading rooms are beautiful and experienced sequentially as they lead one through the building. The brick, timber and stone has been designed exquisitely with a thorough understanding of their intrinsic qualities."
The other category winners were as follows:
- Commercial & Leisure: The Alice Hawthorn
- Interiors: St John Street
- Private: The Boathouse
- Small Project: Built: East Pavilion
- Structural Award: The Welcome Building RHS Garden Bridgewater
- Bespoke furniture: Gayles Farm 5
- Production furniture: Iso-Lounge Chair