Top timber: we reveal the 2015 Wood Award winners

Lovers of all things timber need look no further - the ultimate selection of this year's best of the best in wood design has been revealed, in the form of the 2015 Wood Awards. The annual accolades celebrate outstanding craftsmanship and design in the use of the beloved natural material and this year, as ever, competition was fierce.
The winner of winners was The Fishing Hut by Niall McLaughlin Architects, taking away the coveted Arnold Laver Gold Award - as well as being top in the awards' Private category. Acting as a place for storing boats and fishing gear, as well as a meeting place and shelter for anglers, the hut wowed the judges with its oak timber cladding and structure.
Other champions included the Constellations bar by Howard Miller Design in Liverpool (Commercial & Leisure category); the Arcadia nursery by Maclolm Fraser Architects in Edinburgh (Education and Public sector category); the studio by Bradley van der Straeten Architects in London (Existing Building category); Bryanston School in Dorset by Hopkins Architects (Interiors category); the Observatory, Study and Workshop by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios in various locations across the UK (Small Projects); and the Canary Wharf Crossrail station by Foster & Partners in London (Structural).
A Special Award was given to the BSkyB Believe in Better Building education facility by Arup Associates, which reflects its company's sustainable aspirations; while furniture, bespoke installations and product winners span new and established names, such as the Endgrain project by Raw Edges, Ves-el by Gareth Neal in collaboration with Zaha Hadid, End Grain Stationary by student Simin Qui and Slatted Chair by student Emma Leslie.
Announced during a ceremony in the sublimely crafted main event room of the Carpenter's Hall in London and hosted by broadcaster and architectural historian, Tom Dyckhoff, this year's Wood Awards - the 44th of their kind - are here to whet our appetite for true timber excellence.
Arnold Laver Gold Award winner: The Fishing Hut by Niall McLaughlin Architects
Small Projects winner: the Observatory, Study and Workshop by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Small Projects winner: the Observatory, Study and Workshop by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Education and Public Sector winner: the Arcadia nursery by Maclolm Fraser Architects in Edinburgh
Education and Public Sector winner: the Arcadia nursery by Maclolm Fraser Architects in Edinburgh
Interiors winner: Bryanston School in Dorset by Hopkins Architects
Interiors winner: Bryanston School in Dorset by Hopkins Architects
A Special Award was given to the BSkyB Believe in Better Building education facility by Arup Associates, which reflects its company’s sustainable aspirations
Structural winner: the Canary Wharf Crossrail station by Foster & Partners in London
Structural winner: the Canary Wharf Crossrail station by Foster & Partners in London
Commercial & Leisure winner: the Constellations bar by Howard Miller Design in Liverpool
Existing Building winner: the studio by Bradley van der Straeten Architects in London
Existing Building winner: the studio by Bradley van der Straeten Architects in London
Bespoke winner: the Endgrain project by Raw Edges
Bespoke winner: the Endgrain project by Raw Edges
Student Designer winner: End Grain Stationary by Simin Qui
Bespoke winner: Ves-el by Gareth Neal in collaboration with Zaha Hadid
Student Designer People’s Choice winner: Slatted Chair by Emma Leslie
INFORMATION
For more information on the Wood Awards visit the organisation’s website
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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).
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