DOWNLAND GRIDSHELL SCOOPS TOP AWARD AT 2003 WOOD AWARDS
Weald & Downland Open Air
Museum Honoured in London Ceremony
The
Weald & Downland
Open Air Museum’s innovative Downland Gridshell building received top
honours in the prestigious 2003 Wood Awards at a ceremony last night at
Carpenters’ Hall in the City of London. As well as winning the Award in
the Structural category, the Gridshell was the recipient of the first ever
overall Gold Award.
The aim
of the Wood Awards (previously known as the Carpenters Awards and Timber
Industry Awards) is to recognise and encourage outstanding design,
craftsmanship and installation in joinery and structures in timber. Wood
is enjoying a great revival in popularity in buildings and construction
and the Wood Awards, sponsored by seven major UK and overseas wood
organisations, provide an excellent opportunity to recognise outstanding
achievement in this field.
The
Gridshell was chosen from over 200 nationwide entries of an extremely high
standard. The judges felt that it provided an outstanding example of
joinery and structural design in relation to location and purpose, the
choice of wood, the craftsmanship, installation and finish. Described by
the judges as “An amazing feat of wood engineering”, they added that the
structure would “Stand up alongside the Museum’s rich archive of historic
buildings…The Downland Gridshell is both a museum and a museum piece.”
The
inspiring Gridshell structure is the first major timber gridshell building
in Britain and has generated widespread interest locally, nationally and
beyond. The £1.8 million project, supported by a £1.185m Heritage Lottery
Fund grant, is home to the award-winning Museum’s building conservation
workshop and rural artefacts collection.
Designed
by Edward Cullinan Architects with Buro Happold consulting engineers, the
Gridshell was runner-up for the Stirling Prize, and has also received a
Civic Trust Award and a British Construction Industry Award.
The
Gridshell provides an environmentally-controlled store for historic
artefacts in the basement which is built into the chalk hillside, while the
Jerwood Gridshell Space (upper floor) is used as a workshop for building
conservation and training. The curved shape of the building echoes the rural
Downland landscape and fulfils the Museum’s ambition to build with
integrity, avoiding
imitation.
The
workshop and the Museum store is accessible by visitors to the Museum during
a daily tour. “We are tremendously honoured to have received both the
Structural and Gold Wood Award for the Downland Gridshell. The building is a
testament to the early 21st century, just as the Museum’s historic building
exhibits are to their own time,” says Museum Director Richard Harris. “The
space has enabled us to extend our work in building conservation and rural
life and since completion, we have made extensive use of this wonderful
facility.”
The
Museum is open daily until the end of October from 10.30 am - 6.00 pm,
and every weekend November - February from
10.30am –
4pm.
Admission charges are: adults £7, over 60s £6.50; children £4, family ticket
£19.
For
further details of the Wood Awards visit
www.woodawards.co.uk
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The award-winning Weald & Downland Open Air Museum is England’s leading
museum of historic buildings and traditional rural life. It has over 45
historic building exhibits from town and country and is designated by the
Government for the outstanding importance of its collections. Exhibits
include a medieval farmstead; a working Tudor kitchen, a watermill producing
stoneground flour; exhibitions focusing on traditional building techniques
and agriculture; historic gardens and farm livestock. The Museum runs a
well-established and lively programme of courses in building conservation
and rural crafts. There is a café which uses the Museum’s own produce and a
museum shop with gifts and books on countryside and buildings themes. An
important new addition is the multi-award-winning Downland Gridshell, the
Museum’s new building conservation centre and artefact store. In addition to
a free daily Gridshell tour, visitors may now view the collections by prior
appointment with the Curator.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Reporters and photographers are welcome at the Museum.
For
further information call the Museum information line on 01243 811348 or
contact Cathy Clark, Marketing Officer
Tel:
01243
811014.
Fax:
01243 811475
Email:
marketing@wealddown.co.uk.
Full
details about the Museum and its activities can be found at
www.wealddown.co.uk
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