The 2013 Wood Awards shortlist is revealed

Colyer-Fergusson Building in Canterbury
The shortlist for the 2013 Wood Awards spans different scales and typologies, and seven key categories. Nominations for the 'commercial & public access' category include the Colyer-Fergusson Building in Canterbury, designed by Tim Ronalds Architects
(Image credit: Tim Ronalds Architects)

We've always been partial to the humble building material of timber, whether it is applied with traditional, craft-based techniques or emphatically modern innovations, and the UK's annual Wood Awards is an excellent showcase of the practices putting it to best use.

The shortlist, announced this week, spans different scales and typologies, and seven key categories: Bespoke Furniture, Commercial & Public Access, Private, Production-made Furniture, Repair & Adaptive Reuse, Small Project and Structural.

Nominations range from well-known new public buildings - such as the Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and the Bishop Edward King Chapel by Niall McLaughlin (also on the shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize) - to smaller projects, such as the RoominaRoom in London by Atmos Studio, and private, bespoke commissions such as the Tay Bench by Angus Ross. The 30-strong list encompasses everything from architecture to product design, and from traditional design to the cutting edge. 

The awards are sponsored by a consortium of brands, including the American Hardwood Export Council, Canada Wood, Carpenters' Company, TRADA, Wood for Good, American Softwoods, BRE and the Forestry Commission. The winners, which will be picked for their design excellence and quality in the use of wood by a jury led by Michael Morrison of Purcell UK and Sean Sutcliffe of Benchmark Furniture, will be announced on the 19 November in a ceremony held at the Worshipful Company of Carpenters in London.

Colyer-Fergusson Building

The Colyer-Fergusson Building features Canadian Douglas Fir and engineered oak flooring

(Image credit: Colyer-Fergusson)

Mary Rose Museum

Commercial & public access: The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth was designed by Wilkinson Eyre architects and showcases striking Canadian Red Cedar

(Image credit: Wilkinson Eyre architects and Canadian Red Cedar)

Abbotsford Visitor Reception Building,

Commercial & public access: Abbotsford Visitor Reception Building, designed by LDN Architects, is located in Melrose

(Image credit: LDN Architects)

Tower of Love festival hall

Commercial & public access: Tower of Love festival hall was designed by dRMM architects

(Image credit: dRMM architects)

Tower of Love festival hall

Located in Blackpool, the Tower of Love features spruce and fir

(Image credit: Press)

The Dune House in Thorpeness

Private project: The Dune House in Thorpeness is a project by Mole Architects

(Image credit: Mole Architects)

The Dune House in Thorpeness interior

Spruce, ash and stained Scandinavian whitewood can all be found in the Dune House

(Image credit: Press)

Church Walk

Private project: Church Walk is situated in Hackney, London and was designed by previous Wood Award winner David Mikhail

(Image credit: David Mikhail)

Crowbrook house

Private project: Crowbrook house, by Know Bhavan Architects, features Siberian Larch and African hardwood

(Image credit: Bhavan Architects)

Rigg Beck house

Private project: Rigg Beck house in Cumbria was also designed by Knox Bhavan Architects

(Image credit: Knox Bhavan Architects)

Holland Park Chair

Production-made furniture: The Holland Park Chair, made of European Beech, is produced by Ercol Furniture

(Image credit: Ercol Furniture)

Otter Surfboards

Production-made furniture: Other X The National Trust is a project by Cornwall-based Otter Surfboards

(Image credit: Otter Surfboards)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Production-made furniture: The Storyboard, also by Otter Surfboards, is made out of sustainably sourced Western Red Cedar

(Image credit: Otter Surfboards)

The Joyce cabinet

Production-made furniture: The Joyce cabinet was designed by Russell Pinch and is available in cherry, oak or walnut veneered MDF

(Image credit: Russell Pinch)

Clyde Side Table

Production-made furniture: Pinch also created the Clyde Side Table. It can be made in solid white ash, white oak, black stained ash, solid black American walnut and a combination route of black American walnut base, with an oak top

(Image credit: Russell Pinch)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Production-made furniture: HAN by Mark Gabbertas for Lyndon is available in Hungarian FCS oak, beech and walnut

(Image credit: Mark Gabbertas)

The Theo chair

Production-made furniture: The Theo chair by Pengellydesign features oak and beech sourced locally in Hungary

(Image credit: Press)

The Ripples chest of drawers

Bespoke furniture: The Ripples chest of drawers was created by EJ Bespoke Furniture using ash, walnut and cedar of Lebanon

(Image credit: EJ Bespoke Furniture)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Bespoke furniture: The beautifully curved Nimm Rae chair was made by Chaircreative

(Image credit: Chaircreative)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Bespoke furniture: The unusually shaped Tay Bench is an oak product by Angus Ross

(Image credit: Angus Ross)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Bespoke furniture: The Worldscape by Atmos studio was on display at the Stratford Town Hall in 2012

(Image credit: Press)

Bells Farm in Birmingham

Repair & adaptive reuse: The Bells Farm in Birmingham, designed by Nick Joyce Architects, uses European oak

(Image credit: Nick Joyce Architects)

Royal Society of Arts in London

Repair & adaptive reuse: Matthew Lloyd Architects oversaw the refurbishment of the Royal Society of Arts in London

(Image credit: Press)

Magheralin Parish Church

Repair & adaptive reuse: The Magheralin Parish Church was designed by Waddington-McClure Architects

(Image credit: Waddington-McClure Architects)

Exbury Egg

Small project: The unusual Exbury Egg was designed by PAD Studio

(Image credit: PAD Studio)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Created out of reclaimed timber, the Exbury Egg is a temporary work space for artist Stephen Turner

(Image credit: Press)

Alex Monroe Studio

Small project: The Alex Monroe Studio in London, designed by DSDHA, features Austrian Spruce cross laminated timber

(Image credit: DSDHA)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

The studio includes the jewellery designer's workshop and store

(Image credit: Press)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Small project: The Expandable Surface System was created by the Architectural Association using birch plywood

(Image credit: Architectural Association)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Small project: This impressive staircase is part of the 'RoominaRoom' project in London by Atmos studio

(Image credit: Atmos studio)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

RoominaRoom is created out of Latvian Birch Plywood, oak staved kitchen worktops and American black walnut veneer

(Image credit: Press)

Bishop Edward King Chapel

Structural: The Bishop Edward King Chapel by Niall McLaughlin Architects is situated in Oxford

(Image credit: Niall McLaughlin Architects)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

The chapel features European Oak inside and outside, and ash for its fitted furniture and internal doors

(Image credit: Press)

Trewarren house

Structural: Trewarren by John Pardy Architects is a house in Newport, Pembrokeshire

(Image credit: John Pardy Architects)

Trewarren house

The Trewarren house features Iroko wood for its structural timber frame

(Image credit: Press)

Abraham Darby Sports and Learning Community

Structural: The Abraham Darby Sports and Learning Community in Shropshire was designed by BDP

(Image credit: BDP)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Structural: The Living Link bridge in Cambridgeshire is a project by Smith and Wallwork

(Image credit: Smith and Wallwork)

2013 Wood Awards shortlist

Structural: The Future Affordable project by David Blaikie Architects is a new low carbon housing concept

(Image credit: David Blaikie Architects)

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).