The Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas. Architecture by Tzannes, built by Infinity Constructions, photography by The Guthrie Project. Occupying the land of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.
The Australian Timber Design Awards again attracted outstanding examples of the use of timber veneers in the Timber Veneer category sponsored by the Timber Veneer Association of Australia (TVAA). The overall winner was the Judith Neilson Centre for Journalism and Ideas, based in Sydney at 79 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale. Source: Timberbiz
The Institute was established in 2018 by Australian philanthropist Judith Neilson and works with journalists and media organisations around the world.
The interior of the award-winning Judith Neilson Centre for Journalism and Ideas in Sydney.
The Institute’s design by Project Architects Alec Tzannes and Matilda Gollan involved the adaptive re-use of two heritage listed warehouse buildings plus a new addition. The original heritage fabric, including timber beams and trusses, was respected while new and old are interwoven through the interior.
American Oak veneer was used to create curved and fluid joinery elements, finished with a natural oil that allows for ease of ongoing maintenance.
Three ‘honourable mentions’ in the Timber Veneer category showed the versatility of veneers, ranging from the acoustically designed, panelled walls of Her Majesty’s Theatre, to the soaring ceilings of the BNP Paribas Centre, to the perforated panels of Wilderness School’s Learning Commons.
The $66 million redevelopment of Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide involved a complete gutting of the existing structure with a newly designed interior inserted into the heritage-listed external walls, and a modern foyer and bar area added to one side.
The BNP Paribas Centre at 60 Castlereagh Street Sydney also involved refurbishment of an existing building.
As Aeta Studio describes the material choices, “Existing retained stone was complemented by a new palette of local hardwood and softwood.”
In the design for Adelaide’s Wilderness School, Cox Architecture aimed to “inspire, shape, and change how Wilderness School students learn”. Soft White American Oak veneers blur the line between the outside and inside, celebrating the tones of the school’s much loved existing trees around the Campus.
As in past Australian Timber Design Awards, the high standard of Timber Veneer entries in 2021 presented the judges with a difficult task, all four finalists being worthy of recognition.
