The first post-COVID face-to-face WoodSolutions seminar was held on February 28 at the beautiful Library at the Dock performance space, a community hub in the heart of Melbourne.
More than 85 building professionals enthusiastically attended to hear all the design and construction details of six exceptional award-winning projects from the 2022 Australian Timber Design Awards – presented by their creators.
The Hutt 01 Passive House
Following a brief overview of the current WoodSolutions program, the project line-up kicked off with a very entertaining presentation by Marc Bernstein, director of Melbourne Design Studios, on his The Hutt 01 Passive House.
This project provides a wonderful case study in ‘how to build better houses sustainably’. The design combines the functionality and beauty of timber with advanced technologies, utilising PassivHaus prefabricated thermal bridge-free biophilic-rich timber building solutions along with playful features to deliver a fun and sustainable family home.
Bay Pavilion Arts and Aquatic Centre
Andrew Tripet, national sector lead community at NBRS Architects, then presented the spectacular Bay Pavilion Arts and Aquatic Centre in Bateman’s Bay, which won the 2022 Australian Timber Design People’s Choice Award.
The project magnificently showcases timber in its structure, façade, and internal finishing and how it can be used to maximise beauty and functionality and minimise embodied energy impacts, while creating iconic and dramatic architectural forms.
S.E.E.D. Modular Classrooms
The first session was rounded off by Knut Menden, director of Betti & Knut Architecture, who presented his S.E.E D. Modular Classrooms project which won both the Small Budget and Sustainability Awards.
This project provides a very innovative solution that totally rethinks the ‘demountable’ and provides not only cost effective prefabricated portable classrooms, but also amazingly beautiful and tranquil, internally and externally, high-quality, scalable educational buildings.
The Waterfont Tavern
After a brief networking afternoon tea, the seminar continued with the winner of the Overall 2022 Excellence in Timber Design Award – the momentous Waterfront Tavern at Shell Cove. Director of H&E Architects, Christopher Grinham, described the design and construction journey of this timber-rich commercial project, designed to pay homage to its maritime setting and delivering a contemporary interpretation of a timber boat house.
This beautiful commercial project extensively uses timber in the external cladding, decking and window and door joinery, and internally as wall and ceiling linings, flooring, and in the spectacular large timber trusses.
For more information about how timber can be used in mid-rise construction, download the Mid-rise construction projects design guide.
Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club
Veryan Curnow, an associate director with timber-friendly firm JCB Architects, then enthralled the audience with an overview of some of the beautiful flagship timber-rich projects JCBA have been involved with over the past decade and the philosophy around the use of timber.
Vervan described in detail the award-winning new Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club, a spectacular multi-faceted community facility which features sustainably sourced Australian hardwoods internally and externally, chosen for their exquisite beauty, practicality, performance, durability and bushfire resistance.
The seminar then rounded off with a very informative presentation from Grant Steel, business development manager at XLam, who presented on the beautiful Iron Creek Bay Farm Stay project in Sorell Tasmania. This is a hugely impressive multi-residential project which incorporates a rich palette of plantation and native forest timbers.
The Iron Creek Bay Farm Stay
Grant also talked in more detail about the CLT DfMA process and the importance of early engagement and collaboration with the supply chain in delivering successful mass timber projects. It provided a very fitting final presentation of the importance of “working together”, a theme that carried through all the project presentations.
For more information about CLT and how it can be used in construction, download the WoodSolutions CLT Design Guide.
Overall, the seminar on the 2022 Australian Timber Design Awards – presented by their creators – provided a rich selection of different timber building typologies design approaches and construction methodologies.
Feedback from the audience was hugely positive, not just for the expert advice and details from the speakers, but also for finally having the opportunity to get back together face to face after so long and to network and talk about wood solutions, innovations, and constructions.
The 2022 Australian Timber Design Award winners are available on the dedicated Australian Timber Design Awards website. For more information about WoodSolutions events please visit the dedicated WoodSolutions calendar.