The creative and non-conventional use of timber has five projects emerge as the 2012 Intergrain Timber Vision Awards.
The Intergrain Timber Vision Awards aim to recognise and celebrate the valuable role timber plays in Australian architecture and design, with the 2012 awards delivering some outstanding entries.
The winners include: Saltwater Coast Lifestyle Centre (Point Cook, Vic) for ‘Best Commercial Exterior,’ the Annexe — Art Gallery of Ballarat (Ballarat, Vic) for ‘Best Commercial Interior,’ the ‘Best Landscape,’ went to the Barwon Heads Bridge and William Buckley Bridge (Barwon Heads, Vic), while the HANS-house (Aberfeldie, Vic) was voted ‘Best Residential Exterior’ and the Jarrah Block House (Rushcutters Bay, NSW) awarded ‘Best Residential Interior’.
Intergrain Brand Manager, Krystal Brabham, said the Intergrain Timber Vision Awards aim to continually celebrate industry professionals who inspire with creative and innovative timber design. She said this year’s awards showcased visionary timber use in Australian architecture.
“The third year of the Intergrain Timber Vision Awards has displayed a strong emergence of new up and coming architects, who impressed the judging panel with the creative use of timber in both public and residential works,” said Brabham.
“It was especially exciting to see designers challenging preconceptions about timber application and properties,” she added.
The entries were evaluated by a judging panel including John Wardle, Principal at John Wardle Architects and 2011 Intergrain Timber Vision Award Winner; Rowena Marsh, co-founder of MCK and Director of Interiors; Cameron Bruhn, Editorial Director at Architecture Media; and Sarah Nadenbousch, of DuluxGroup.
Judged ‘Best Commercial Exterior’ was the Saltwater Coast and Lifestyle Centre by NH Architecture. Located in Victoria’s Point Cook, the centre was recognised for its stunning compilation of exterior timber.
The Saltwater Coast and Lifestyle Centre optimises the use of timber in a location where it inspires the development of the community (pictured below).
The Saltwater Coast and Lifestyle Centre. Images courtesy Intergrain Timber Vision Awards.
The ‘Best Commercial Interior’ went to the Annexe — Art Gallery of Ballarat, created by Searle x Waldron Architecture.
Located in Ballarat, Victoria, the Annexe was recognised for its use of timber in creating an inspiring public place, expanding the Art Gallery’s function space and creating new urban connections for the heritage-listed building. The use of timber also visually connects the inside and outside components of the building.
The judging panel deemed the use of timber as an inspired choice, allowing design acoustics, such as flexibility, that other materials couldn’t provide.
The ‘Best Landscape’ went to Victoria’s Barwon Heads Bridge and William Buckley Bridge, designed by Peter Elliot Architecture + Urban Design. Awarded for its contextual and functional properties and response to community wishes, the bridge fits seamlessly with the existing landscape, whilst remaining a striking element of its own.
Victoria’s Barwon Heads Bridge and William Buckley Bridge
The ‘Best Residential Exterior’ was awarded to the HANS-house in Aberfeldie, Victoria, which boasts a striking timber exterior that uses the material honestly and clearly. A bold timber container, styled for contemporary living, the building’s exterior form responds directly to the different spaces inside.
The Jarrah Block House in Rushcutters Bay, New South Wales, took home the title for ‘Best Residential Interior,’ for its functionally complex yet formally singular use of timber.
The judging panel praised the Jarrah Block House as a great example of a highly disciplined compositional approach, creating a beautiful communal living space, using Jarrah timber as a unifying element
For more information visit www.intergrain.com.au
