Australian Embassy in Washington DC
Architects Bates Smart, one of Australia’s oldest architectural firms, has won the overall Australian Timber Design Award for their outstanding Embassy of Australia in Washington DC. Source: Timberbiz, photos Joe Fletcher
The awards, now in their 25th year, were announced on Wednesday night in Sydney with the Professor of Architecture at the University of Tasmania’s School of Architecture and Design and Director of the University’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood Greg Nolan acting as MC.
The design of the new Embassy of Australia in Washington DC was complex, necessitating a delicate balance between cultural representation, iconic civic presence and practical security considerations.
The inspiration came from Australia’s iconic landscape and embodies the essence of the vast continent.
The building’s transparency was intended to capture the inherent Australian values of welcomeness and trust, while the interior’s expansive atmosphere embodies the vastness of the Australian landscape.
At the heart of the 20,000 square metre building, a large atrium serves as an orienting space displaying a powerful connection between the ground plane and the sky.
This central atrium establishes a north south axial arrangement of representational spaces where every visitor is granted an equally immersive experience on entry.
The main representational spaces are defined by strong materiality with Australian timber wall panels, that provide both air reticulation and sound absorption, organised around a series of textured horizontal bands that transition from rough to smooth.
This mirrors the protective qualities of the bark during the eucalypt forest’s cycle of growth, burn and regrowth. Intricate metallic filigree screens have been sensitively deployed to mediate the interplay of light and shadow in social breakout and office spaces.
Award winners:
Overall Winner – Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. by Bates Smart
Merits:
- People’s Choice – Michael Kirby Building – Macquarie University Law School by Hassell Studio and FDC Construction (NSW)
- Sustainability – Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre by Jackson Clements Burrows
- International Projects – Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. by Bates Smart
- Rising Star – Sarah Shearman from Brother Nature Design for River House
Excellence in Timber Applications:
- Residential Class 1 – New Building – Taroona House by Archier
- Residential Class 1 – Alterations & Additions – Verandah Terraces by Phorm architecture + design
- Fit Out – Residential – Northcote House by LLDS and Power to Make
- Standalone Structure – Fernery at Ballarat Botanic Gardens by BALANCE Architecture & Interior Design
- Commercial Building – T3 Collingwood by Hines, AECOM, JCB and Icon
- Public Building – Michael Kirby Building – Macquarie University Law School by Hassell Studio and FDC Construction (NSW)
- Fit Out – Commercial and Public – Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. by Bates Smart
- Furniture & Joinery – Holocene House by CplusC Architects + Builders
- Excellence in Timber Products:
- Australian Certified Timber – Irrawaddy by Incidental Architecture
- Recycled Timber – First Steps Count Child and Community Centre by Austin McFarland Architects
