Winners of the 2013 Intergrain Timber Vision Awards have been announced, with the four projects inspiring and impressing with their creative use of timber.
Coolum Beach Streetscaping Project in Coolum Beach, Queensland won for ‘Best Commercial Exterior’, while Captain Melville in Brunswick, Victoria took away the ‘Best Commercial Interior’.
The House House project in North Fitzroy, Victoria was voted ‘Best Residential Exterior’, with Shearer’s Quarters in North Bruny Island, Tasmania awarded ‘Best Residential Interior’.
The Intergrain Timber Vision Awards aim to recognise and celebrate the valuable role timber plays in Australian architecture and design, with the 2013 awards delivering outstanding entries, which embody Australia’s distinct design aesthetic.
Brand manager Krystal Brabham says the awards continue to grow year on year, due in part to the rising prominence of timber features in both residential and commercial design.
“The Intergrain Timber Vision Awards received a record number of entries this year, with the calibre of submissions reaching a new high,” Brabham says.
“Timber in design is being viewed differently, with architects experimenting with applications and uses of recycled timber. The winning projects showcase these ideals alongside inspirational design visions.”
A prestigious judging panel consisting of Hamish Lyon, principal and design director at NH Architecture (VIC); Virginia Kerridge, principal of Virginia Kerridge Architect (NSW); Cameron Bruhn, editorial director at Architecture Media (VIC); and Douglas Curr, Dulux specification and project services consultant, evaluated the entries and chose the four winners.
Coolum Beach designed by Carl Holder, product designer & urban artist, won the Best Commercial Exterior for its strong daytime and night time presence as a public work of art.
It speaks to the philosophy of its surrounding environment as an indirect expression of textures and forms in a fluid and tactile three-dimensional, 12 metre long timber surface.
Restaurant and bar Captain Melville designed by Breathe Architecture successfully balanced heritage ideals of the Australian Gold Rush with contemporary design to take away the Best Commercial Interior.
Timber was seamlessly inserted into the interior, with Breathe Architecture also implementing an innovative way of recycling and re-imagining timber as something other than its natural form, with it evoking an image of layers of gold ingots.
The residential award winners showcase the increasing trend of utilising timber’s natural beauty in functional features around the home.
House House designed by Andrew Maynard Architects was an impressive new addition to two existing terrace houses, with the timber structure standing out.
As an overall expression of a new architectural inner-city type, timber added domestic warmth and vibrancy to the exterior facade of the house. It cleverly spans two existing houses and disguises the join between them.
Shearer’s Quarters designed by John Wardle Architects sits as a companion building to an historic cottage, providing accommodation for the shearers and rural contractors.
Using local and recycled timbers, including timber from old rural windbreaks and recycled apple box crates, the building design forms a holistic story between the artist, home and setting.
Impressing the judges was the adaptive use of materials, with timber used creatively in the design. Unusual panel size and offset joints of the timber added texture throughout the interior. A wooden bookcase in the living space is a key feature.
Commendations
Commercial Interior: George St Office Fit Out by Form Follows Function.
Residential Exterior: Gordons Bay Residence by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects.
Residential Interior: House House by Andrew Maynard Architects.
Residential Interior: Fairhaven Residence by John Wardle Architects.
