In 2025, wood is at the heart of some of the UK’s most significant new developments – from a landmark multistorey workspace in London to a major walkway traversing a revitalised dockland, and sensitive additions to one of the nation’s most cherished public institutions: the Natural History Museum.
Across social housing and private homes, experimental structures and heritage restorations, workplaces and educational settings, this year’s Wood Awards reveal how timber is becoming a defining material in our contemporary built landscape. Beyond creating warm and uplifting spaces, wood is enabling some of today’s most environmentally responsible, structurally innovative, finely detailed and low embodied carbon buildings.
The same spirit of forward-thinking ingenuity can be found in the furniture and objects that shape our daily lives. Here, UK designers and makers are championing the sustainability, durability and expressive qualities of timber. By pairing inventive timber design with conscientious sourcing, specification, and construction, they nurture the health of our forests and the vitality of the places we live and work in, strengthening our connection to nature.
This year’s shortlist celebrates an extraordinary diversity of species. In Buildings, we have found tropical hardwoods Angelim and Cumuru, a new hybrid eucalyptus-pine CLT, reclaimed Jarrah and engineered American red oak, alongside more familiar species including Douglas fir and European spruce. In Furniture and Objects, projects demonstrate the potential of British ash, beech, horse chestnut, oak burr, sycamore, and more.
Emerging innovations are driving high-value applications for under-utilised species, supporting diversification in specification and promoting biodiversity within our forests. As efficiency, reuse and circularity become central design values, clients, makers and designers are maximising the carbon benefits of choosing timber as a primary construction material.
As well as celebrating the skill, ambition, beauty and sustainability of these remarkable timber projects, the Wood Awards takes great pride in the integrity of its judging process – made possible by two dedicated panels of expert, independent judges who visit each project in person.
As a not-for-profit competition, the Wood Awards depends on the generous support of its sponsors and partners. We extend our sincere thanks to the American Hardwood Export Council, The Carpenters’ Company, and Timber Development UK (TDUK), who organise the awards.
We hope all enjoy the Wood Awards 2025.
THE STEERING GROUP
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