A press release, issued by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), announced “success for American hardwoods” at the annual Wood Awards ceremony, the UK’s “premier competition for excellence in architect and product design in the world’s only naturally sustainable material,” wood.

In the Buildings – Education & Public Sector category, Maggie’s Oldham, took top honors as “a world-first project that pushes the boundaries of hardwood….” Described as a “carefully made manifesto for the architecture of health, realized in wood,” the structure

• “is the first permanent building constructed from sustainable, tulipwood cross-laminated timber (CLT).
• All of the walls and roof are visibly structure, and form an exquisite natural timber finish, internally. (The tulipwood CLT has been carefully detailed to bring out its natural beauty.)
• The slatted ceiling was created from wood left over from the CLT fabrication process, ensuring no waste.
• Wood fiber insulation ensures a breathable, healthy environment.
• Externally, the building is draped in custom-fluted, thermally modified tulipwood.”

The Smile, “chosen from all of the projects shortlisted in the five subcategories of the Buildings category, and the first project in the world to use large, hardwood CLT panels,” was granted the Structural Award. “Tulipwood was selected for its unusual combination of high strength and low density. As industrial tulipwood CLT was a completely new material, its strength was derived from first principles and rigorous testing.”

More information about these and other AHEC projects can be found by visiting www.americanhardwood.org.

Photo courtesy of American Hardwood Export Council