A concert hall has won the top prize in this year’s Wood Awards, while refurbishment projects featured heavily.

Kings Place Concert Hall by Dixon Jones and Arup Acoustics won the gold award for its design, which the judges described as a “truly outstanding project which is a tour de force of precision joinery, balancing acoustic performance with the pure rational geometry sought out by the architect.”

A refurbished Victorian house which used a variety of timbers won the private category, while the winner of the conservation/restoration category was The Merchant’s House, a renovation by Caroe and Partners. This used traditional crafts and conservation repair techniques to repair the original timber and structure, and added a 15kw borehole ground source heat pump system, a private borehole water well and an energy efficient lighting system. Scraps and waste were used as fuel on site, re-used locally or recycled.

An oak extension to West Mayfield by Oliver Chapman Architects won best small project

The judges said The Merchant’s House was: “A labour of love undertaken to rescue a house and restore it to its former glory,” admired for the “quality and attention to detail achieved throughout”.

Overall winner in the furniture category was Gloster Furniture’s Elan Outdoor Furniture, while other winners included Price and Myers’ Deal Pier Café and Bar for the structural award, Oak Bridge by McMorran & Gatehouse Architects for the best use of British timber, Hoddinott Hall by Capita Architecture for best use of panel products and Falmouth School in Cornwall for offsite construction.

The school’s use of timber saved around 56t CO2 compared with a concrete equivalent, based on Forestry Commission figures.

http://www.woodawards.com