KING’S College Wimbledon and Warwick University’s National Automotive Innovation Centre were among the winners of the 2020 Wood Awards, the UK’s premier competition for excellence in wood design.
The Swimming Pool Hall at King’s College School, Wimbledon, designed by David Morley Architects, was selected as the Education & Public Sector winner. Judge Kirsten Haggart said: "The different timber elements all have the same white-washed tone and coordinate perfectly with the reinforced concrete columns, creating a beautiful place which has an intimacy that most pools lack."
The National Automotive Innovation Centre at Warwick University, which won the Structural Award, is the largest research and development centre of its kind in Europe. It can hold 1,000 staff and students working across design, engineering and research. It was designed by Cullinan Studio.
Structural judge Nathan Wheatley commented: “We were looking for a scheme that has challenged the engineer, where the concept has been delivered in spite of that challenge and where the resultant structure is in some way integral to the success and architecture of the building."