tulipwood. “If you compare this building with what was happening at the
beginning...the change is just massive,” said David. Furniture – a crucial channel for influence While buildings sometimes conceal their timber behind finishes and systems, furniture places wood front and centre. For AHEC, fostering this visibility has always been vital. “Furniture is really the visible element of wood,” David says. “It’s great for communication and for media attention. And trends in wood, such as colour, character and texture, often begin in furniture and product design before migrating into architecture.” With the Wood Awards attracting some of the UK’s most exciting furniture makers, the category has become a powerful barometer of material experimentation. The fact that the judges themselves are leading designers and makers lends great integrity and inspiration to the process. “You can’t beat being judged by respected peers,” David adds. “We’ve been so privileged with the quality of judges we’ve had.” Notable early winners such as Sebastian
Cox RDI – who won the Bespoke Award in 2011 and is now the Chair of the Furniture & Product judging panel – and Katie Walker, whose 2005 Ribbon Rocking Chair remains iconic, show how the Awards can help propel emerging designers into the spotlight.
COMMITMENT THE FUTURE For both AHEC and the Wood Awards, supporting the next generation of architects and makers is central. AHEC’s work with emerging talent, in the UK and across Europe, aligns seamlessly with the Awards’ mission to spotlight new voices. “I love that the Wood Awards celebrates young, unknown makers as well as huge practices,” David says. “It gives real opportunity.” Walking into the Carpenters’ Hall on awards night encapsulates this progression. “You see the heavyweight architects and designers of today alongside the bright lights of the future,” he reflects. “It’s really exciting.” David sees the modern Wood Awards as a true reflection of the entire UK timber industry – beyond any single organisation’s influence. “It’s no longer ours,” he says of AHEC’s role, “but it is now housed where it always should have been – at the heart of the UK timber industry, there for everyone, large and small.” The Awards have grown into a national institution, reshaped by collaboration, driven by a commitment to excellence, and powered by the vision shared between AHEC, the Carpenters’ Company, Timber Development UK, and the many architects, designers, makers and judges who have given their time. The result is a cultural force that champions material intelligence, celebrates innovation, and continues to inspire the next generation of makers and architects and an ever-expanding creative use of wood across the UK.
Above: The Downland Gridshell in construction
Above: Haberdashers Hall
www.ttjonline.com | Spring 2026 | TTJ
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