The 2024 Annual Australian Timber Design Award winners were recently announced at View by Sydney in Walsh Bay.
Professor Greg Nolan from the University of Tasmania was MC for the evening. Bates Smart was the winner of the Grand Prix for their outstanding Embassy of Australia in Washington D.C.
The design of the new Embassy of Australia in Washington D.C. was complex, necessitating a delicate balance between cultural representation, iconic civic presence and practical security considerations. The inspiration came from Australia’s iconic landscape and embodies the essence of the vast continent. The building’s transparency was intended to capture the inherent Australian values of welcomeness and trust, while the interior’s expansive atmosphere embodies the vastness of the Australian landscape.
At the heart of the 20,000 square metre building, a large atrium serves as an orienting space displaying a powerful connection between the ground plane and the sky. This central atrium establishes a north south axial arrangement of representational spaces where every visitor is granted an equally immersive experience on entry.
The main representational spaces are defined by strong materiality with Australian timber wall panels, that provide both air reticulation and sound absorption, organised around a series of textured horizontal bands that transition from rough to smooth. This mirrors the protective qualities of the bark during the eucalypt forest’s cycle of growth, burn and regrowth. Intricate metallic filigree screens have been sensitively deployed to mediate the interplay of light and shadow in social breakout and office spaces.
Award Winner
Overall Winner – Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. by Bates Smart
Merits
- People’s Choice – Michael Kirby Building (Macquarie University Law School) by Hassell Studio and FDC Construction (NSW)
- Sustainability – Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre by Jackson Clements Burrows
- International Project – Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. by Bates Smart
- Rising Star – Sarah Shearman from Brother Nature Design for River House
Excellence in Timber Applications:
- Residential Class 1: New Building – Taroona House by Archier
- Residential Class 1: Alteration or Addition – Verandah Terraces by Phorm architecture + design
- Fit Out – Residential – Northcote House by LLDS and Power to Make
- Standalone Structure – Fernery at Ballarat Botanic Gardens by BALANCE Architecture & Interior Design
- Commercial Building – T3 Collingwood by Hines, AECOM, JCB and Icon
- Public Building – Michael Kirby Building (Macquarie University Law School) by Hassell Studio and FDC Construction (NSW)
- Fit Out – Commercial and Public – Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. by Bates Smart
- Furniture & Joinery – Holocene House by CplusC Architects + Builders
Excellence in Timber Products
- Australian Certified Timber – Irrawaddy by Incidental Architecture
- Recycled Timber – First Steps Count Child and Community Centre by Austin McFarland Architects
Greg Nolan is Professor of Architecture at the University of Tasmania’s School of Architecture and Design. He is also the Director of the University’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood, a multidisciplinary research and development group that aspires to be a national leader in sustainable architectural design, building and applications with wood.
The Australian Timber Industry would like to extend gratitude to our panel of judges, sponsors and those who entered projects. For a complete list of winners, and finalists, please access the Awards Magazine below.
View Our Awards Magazine
Each year, our Award Winners are featured in our annual Awards Magazine. The publication is available for viewing online and distributed in hard copy.
Published as a digital magazine, the eBooks feature top content received from participant entries. Once a year, all category entries will have the participating design projects published. We also feature the Overall Winner, the People’s Award Choice, and all category winners.
About the Australian Timber Design Awards
The vision of the Australian Timber Design Awards is to highlight, advertise, advocate, and develop a timber design ethos through the encouragement and showcasing of superlative timber design in various applications. A broad range of entry categories demonstrates the diversity of timber and permits recognition of achievement in a variety of areas.
Overall Winner – Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. by Bates Smart
Structural Engineer: Aurecon
Fabricators: Embelton, Briggs Veneers, Matilda Veneers, ISEC and RPG
Builder: Clark Construction
Photographer: Joe Fletcher
Location: Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA
