Buro Happold wins two ‘Wood Awards’

This year’s Wood Awards looked to highlight British projects that incorporated the use of wood in the most innovative or surprising way.

In the ‘Commercial and Leisure’ category, the Stihl Treetop Walkway at Westonbirt was given the top award. We worked alongside Glenn Howells Architects to create an elevated walkway through the canopy of the arboretum, the longest wooden structure of its kind in the UK. The walkway itself used a variety of materials including Scottish larch for the decking and handrail.

Stanbrook Abbey, set in the serene surroundings of the North Yorkshire National Park, won the ‘Eductation and Public Sector’ Award.  The Abbey was designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to provide the Benedictine nuns with a more sustainable, self-sufficient home and lifestyle. Buro Happold  developed a design that embraced the sustainable ethos at the heart of the project, including replacing structural steel with locally sourced timber where possible, and clad the building with oak boarding.