For the sixth time since the award was launched in 2018, an international jury made up of editors from five magazines specialising in wooden construction met to select the project that best represented the year in European wood architecture.

THE JURY

The five editors of the magazines Lignum (Switzerland), Mikado (Germany), Puuinfo (Finland), Trä (Sweden), and Séquences Bois (France) each submitted three projects accompanied by images, plans, and detailed documents, resulting in a total of 15 projects in the competition. As always, the submissions covered a vast range, with 6 residential projects (2 R+12 projects), a school, a museum, a swimming pool, a therapeutic centre, a head office, a maintenance facility, a marketplace, a nature park house, and an airship shelter. There were also three projects that were not new construction, with an extension above a car park, a renovation (swimming pool), and an expansion (museum).

After reviewing the various submissions, the jury held an initial vote to select the nominees. Each magazine votes for three projects, excluding the ones it submitted of course. The top-ranked project receives three points, the second two points, and the third one point. This results in a total of 30 points being distributed.

Some projects receive no points at all, which means that they can be eliminated from the competition, and the focus can shift to the shortlisted projects. This year, 8 projects did not make it past the first round and housing had only one candidate. It is noteworthy that the secondary school in Tuusula, winner of the Finnish Timber Construction Award, is the perfect extension of the Martta Wendelin daycare centre, winner of the 5th edition of the award and also located in Tuusula.

The shortlisted projects included 2 Finnish projects, 2 Swedish projects, 2 French projects, and one Swiss project.

WHAT THE JURY HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE WINNER

RAUM has sought to conserve as many existing elements as possible. As the project was part of a general process of conserving resources, it was essential to repair and transform rather than destroying everything to rebuild. The facility was originally a rather ordinary building void of charm.

The project worked on the colour of the wood cladding to achieve a shade as close as possible to the slate’s dark hues to make the building a unified whole. As the structure already had a complex shape, the idea was to paint it white to unify the whole space and make it extremely coherent, with the different layers and the structure visible only due to the various shadows they cast. The large bay window overlooking the main swimming pool allows bathers to contemplate the landscape stretching out before them. The project offers amazing views of the surrounding area and creates a connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces.

INFO

Established in 2018, the International Award for Wood Architecture is an annual award that aims to reward the achievement of excellence in wood architecture. The award aims to stimulate the development of innovative architectural thinking using wood, whilst establishing links between countries where wood construction can play an increasingly significant role. The Award ceremony coincides with the International Wood Construction Forum. The participating media, who constitute the jury, agree to publish the winner of the year in their respective magazines, thereby ensuring international publicity for the winning project.

Read more:
Saint-Méen-le-Grand – Renovation and enlargement of public swimming pool