Timbmet chairman and chief executive Simon Fineman presented Oxford Brookes University architecture student Stephanie Lewis with the annual TRADA and Timbmet-sponsored student design competition trophy at Ecobuild.
The competition is run in conjunction with Oxford Brookes’ architectural department and sets students the challenge of meeting a specific construction brief in timber.
This year the task was to to create a demountable shelter for a “marine rehabilitation centre”, where an injured marine could rest and sleep during an island retreat, as part of a rehabilitation programme. It also had be a display ‘pavilion’ for TRADA to show models of all the competition entries on its stands at Ecobuild and Timber Expo.
Ms Lewis’s design comprised a semi-circular structure of crescents and ovals of 24mm plywood, all CNC cut from 3×1.5m panels by Timbmet’s Severn Ply division.
After making a 3mm ply model, she worked with Timbmet lead product specialist Gary Hollis and TRADA University liaison manager Elizabeth Turner to develop the full-scale version.
Presenting the trophy Timbmet chairman Simon Fineman said the competition was an “inspirational way to introduce student architects to working with timber” .
“It’s also a valuable element in TRADA’s wider strategy to embrace construction professionals,” he said.
He confirmed that Timbmet would continue to sponsor the Award.
