From a woodland primary school, a low-carbon community centre and a modular home in the wilderness of Scotland, through to a communal table for pounding fufu, this year’s Wood Awards shortlist reflects the versatility of timber.
First established in 1971, the Wood Awards are the UK’s foremost competition celebrating outstanding architecture, structures, furniture items and objects made using wood.
From more than two hundred entries, eighteen buildings and fifteen furniture projects were selected by a judging panel of leading architects, engineers, designers, artists, critics and sustainability experts.
Ranging from a multi-storey light industrial workspace to a tiny hand-built woodland sauna, and from high-tech low-waste lounge chairs to intimately crafted sculptures, this expansive and inspiring shortlist represents the best in British timber design, craftsmanship and installation.
The awards are split into two main categories: Buildings and Furniture & Objects. Buildings are further split into: Commercial & Leisure, Education & Public Sector, Interior, Private Sector, Restoration & Reuse and Small Project. Within Furniture & Objects there are four subcategories: Bespoke, Production, Student Designer and, from this year, Sculptured Objects.
Opening an exciting new door for the Wood Awards, the introduction of the Sculptured Objects category will provide a platform for makers to push the boundaries of traditional woodworking and explore new forms of expression.
Each of the shortlisted projects, listed below, will now be viewed and assessed in-person by an expert panel of independent judges. Winners and highly commended projects will be selected from all ten categories. These projects will then be considered for the Gold Award – the UK’s best timber building – and the Structural Award, as well as for Sustainability and Research & Innovation Awards, given at the judges’ discretion.
The shortlisted Furniture & Object projects are:
Aran, Hampshire (Morgan Studio). This sustainable lounge chair features a technical knitted sleeve stretched over a timber frame. Bempton Barrels, London (Otto Holmes). A collection of three Douglas fir side tables, each with a progressively corroded stage of finish. Common Ground, London (Alison Crowther). This small two-part sculpture has been hand-carved from a disease-felled walnut tree. Communion, London (Giles Tettey Nartey). Created from black-stained maple, this huge communal table is designed for the preparation and serving of the West African staple dish fufu. Ebworth Stools, Oxfordshire (Sylva Foundation). Inspired by items in the National Trust collection, this range of stools have been hand-crafted by students using trees felled due to ash dieback. Endless Orbit, Edinburgh (Oliver Spendley). Entwining Scottish stone and timber, these unique sculpted objects seek to materialise the cycles of nature. Huers Chair, Cornwall (Mena Woodwork). This elegant oak outdoor seat has been carefully designed and crafted to be robust and repairable. Karl and Rita, Nottingham (Alex Radivan). Created to encourage intimate conversation, this ebonised ash love seat is a tribute to timeless design and craftsmanship. Lighten the Load, Brighton (Urban Template). Made from an innovative carbon-conscious sheet material, this solid presenting chair is a fraction of the weight of solid wood. Making in the History, London (Galvin Brothers). Installed in the foyer space of the newly renovated Heal’s Building, this array of turned sculptural objects references the manufacturing history of the site. National Portrait Bench, London (Benchmark Furniture). These bespoke benches, made for the National Portrait Gallery, honour both the historic and contemporary aspects of the building. Resilience, Worcestershire (Sofia Karakatsanis). Carved from solid ash, this sculptural chair takes on an organic form that explores the affinity between the beautiful and the grotesque. The Red Loop Windsor, Gloucestershire (Lucy Steward). This playful take on a traditional continuous-arm Windsor chair has been constructed entirely from British ash. Tsugiki, London (Masao). Exploring concepts of repair and care, these furniture pieces are inspired by techniques used in Japanese restoration of historical wooden architecture. Wall Panels Utilising Timber Offcuts, London (James Trundle & Isobel Napier). Created from hard wood offcuts, these captivating wall panels reimagine textile through timber.“The Wood Awards is an incredibly high calibre award that provides a valuable opportunity to showcase UK designers, craftspeople and makers working in interesting ways with wood," says Sebastian Cox, head of the Furniture & Object judging panel. “We are delighted to be exhibiting the shortlisted furniture items and objects at Material Matters, as part of the London Design Festival, and sharing them with a wide design audience.
“Each item will now be reviewed by our new panel of respected industry judges – each bringing expertise from different spheres of the world of wood, from furniture retail and sustainability consultancy to design, making and curation.
“With the introduction of the Sculptured Object category to the 2024 shortlist, we are excited to be able to offer artisans and sculptors a platform to exhibit their unique wood-based creations.”
The full shortlist will be on display at a free exhibition at Gallery@Oxo as part of Material Matters from Wednesday 18th – Saturday 21 September. The winners of the Wood Awards will be announced on the 20th November, at an evening ceremony held at Carpenter’s Hall, London.
