Ahec sponsors the Wood Excellence Prize

The shortlist included ‘The Tent’ a delightful leisure facility in Nha Trang, Vietnam by a21studio and the new Regional Terminal at Christchurch Airport by Dvn Donovan Hill in New Zealand. Others were drawn from China, Netherlands, France and Australia. After presentations by all the architects, the jury of four eminent judges awarded the prize to the London studio “for embracing innovation and for what it had achieved in a tiny, tight and challenging location with the use of Clt.” 

In the winning project the structure was entirely made of pre-fabricated structural panels and was calculated to have removed 27.1 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere. Internally, according to the designers Dsdha, the simple timber finish is left exposed, providing a robust setting for the bespoke built-in furniture all made of the same timber. Over time, the interior will reveal a patina of use, recording day to day life. The design team and contractor successfully met the challenges of a tight building programme, some very demanding planning constraints and complex construction details.   

Ahec also demonstrated at WAF its commitment to promoting wood for the built environment with an exhibition of its latest science-based research on Life-Cycle Environmental Assessment. This now enables U.S. hardwood exporters to provide American Hardwood Environmental Profiles (Aheps) for individual shipments of 21 different species from forest to end-use product manufacturer. This Lca has resulted in quantitative assessment of cradle-to-grave impact across six environmental impact categories to indicate carbon footprint. 

The Prize was awarded by Mike Snow, Ahec Executive Director from Washington DC, at the Gala Dinner ending the event, which will return to Singapore in 2015. Waf is the largest annual festival and live awards programme for the global architecture community.