A gala function for the Timber Design Awards hosted by Timber Unlimited was held on 2 November at Auckland’s Cordis Hotel.

Engineered timber featured strongly throughout, as did hybrid buildings — those incorporating other building materials in the finished project.

“The possibilities for timber aren’t limited to traditional uses anymore,” says Timber Unlimited’s Director Dr Robert Finch.” Timber can be aesthetically beautiful as well as being an impressive building material, and it’s sustainable too.”

“From residential and commercial architectural excellence, to innovative uses of engineered wood, to new ways to use specialty timbers — wood is now firmly established as a favourite of forward thinking architects and engineers, and the NZ Timber Design Awards proved this,” says Awards Manager Debbie Fergie.

Sorting another record-breaking number of entries into 61 finalists and ultimately into winners and runners-up over 12 categories, requires a sound understanding of architectural design, engineering skills and innovative thinking as well as constructing excellence. This year’s judges were uniformly impressed with the vision and expertise demonstrated by all the entries.

The judges were convening judge David Carradine, Senior Structural Engineer for BRANZ; Jan Stanway, Technical Director for WSP in New Zealand; Andrea Stocchero, a senior analyst, Sector and Bio-economy Te Uru Rākau — New Zealand Forest Service; and Judith Taylor, current President of the NZ Institute of Architects.

The judges felt the range of submissions demonstrated the innovation, dedication and creativity that exists within and across the New Zealand timber sector, from architectural and engineering design, manufacturing and fabrication, to “the builders and makers of these beautiful examples of what can be done with one of our greatest national treasures, namely timber.”

Of the Supreme Award winner, Green School’s Kina project, sited on a former farm in Taranaki, the judges agreed it was an exemplary project that demonstrated the beauty, efficiency and sustainability of timber, and was a clear winner.

The whole-of-life cycle of the materials in Kina was considered from design process, to execution, to the end of its useful life, ensuring that timber was as sustainably sourced and manufactured as possible. This allowed it to be a beautiful building now, and at the end of its life most of the timber elements will be able to be recycled.

“Through sustainable material selection, and innovative building techniques and products, Green School NZ buildings have been by design, faster to build, higher performing and less wasteful than most others by quite a margin, with up to 60 percent less going to landfill,” explained the design studio responsible, BOON Ltd.

Highly commended in the supreme category was Nelson Airport, with judges recognising “the seamless fusion of architecture, engineering and timber,” which “represents a global benchmark for timber architecture and engineering innovation.”

The People’s Choice Award showed the gateway design in Northland by Māori Concepts artist B.J. Natanahira entitled Tomomai ki Ahipara to be a clear winner, with St Hilda’s Anglican Church in Wellington highly commended.