The entries for the North East Timber Trades Assocation (NETTA) Structural Timber Award this year were described as among the best yet at the presentation during NETTA’s annual dinner in Newcastle last week.
The annual competition challenges architecture students at Newcastle University to come up with a structure in timber and wood products that is practical, well-designed and environmentally sound.
This year, the contest’s 23rd, the challenge was to design a demountable public pavilion for Jesmond Dene park in Newcastle. It had to be suitable for a range of uses, including as a reading room , lecture and exhibition venue.
Dr Neveen Hamza, the lecturer at Newcastle’s school of architectur e who co-ordinates the competition entries, said the calibre this year was very high.
“I think they are amongst the best we’ve seen,” she said.
The winning entry was inspired by the root pattern of a sycamore tree, comprising asymmetrical three-member rigid frame portals in whitewood glulam. The building is skinned in plywood and polycarbonate cladding and designed for offsite construction and to be easily disassembled and moved.
The design team comprised students Natalie Ellis, Jonathan Marsh and Adam Brookbanks.
The second prize went to a design featuring a series of cantilevered canopies framed in curved glulam, described by the judges as the “most pleasing aesthetically”. The design team was Nikoletta Karastathi, Ching Long Ho and Adam Hewgill.
Third prize was taken by a design comprising asymmetrical portal frames with ‘union jack’-inspired rectangular facades. The students behind this were Pernille Dammann, Elia Moudouro and Annie Hart.
NETTA award committee chairman James Southern congratulated the winners and runners up and thanked the panel of judges at TRADA, chaired by Christopher Mettem.
The award sponsors this year were Gill & Robinson and managing director Ian Robinson also praised the winners.
“The overall standard of the designs was very high and the students are to be congratulated,” he said. “I’d also like to wish them well in their future careers, as long, of course, as they design in timber!”
