{"id":555790,"date":"2025-11-07T20:24:28","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T20:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/555790\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T20:24:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T20:24:28","slug":"thermory-design-awards-winners-highlight-enduring-beauty-of-wood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/555790\/","title":{"rendered":"Thermory Design Awards winners highlight “enduring beauty of wood”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Promotion:<\/strong><\/a> Estonian timber supplier Thermory has announced the winners of its annual wooden architecture<\/a> design awards, including a villa clad with vernacular lace-like timber, and a home influenced by Japanese wabi-sabi<\/a> principles.<\/p>\n

The annual Thermory Design Awards<\/a> spotlights architecture and design, featuring “the most inspiring uses” of the supplier’s thermally modified wood products.<\/p>\n

\"OutsideEstonia’s V\u00f5su Primary School and Kindergarten won the best public building award. Photo by Karl Kasep\u00f5ld<\/p>\n

Thermory<\/a> has announced a winner for each of its four categories: best public building, best private house, best interior, and best sauna and spa. This year, the winners were selected out of 74 submissions hailing from 21 countries around the world.<\/p>\n

The award for best public building was given to V\u00f5su Primary School and Kindergarten in Estonia’s Lahemaa National Park.<\/p>\n

\"V\u00f5suV\u00f5su Primary School and Kindergarten is situated in Estonia’s Lahemaa National Park. Photo by Karl Kasep\u00f5ld<\/p>\n

Designed by Estonian studio 3+1 Architects<\/a>, the educational facility is characterised by a low-slung barn-style structure. It is clad with a mixture of different Thermory products and surface treatments, in addition to the CLT used during its construction.<\/p>\n

The jury praised 3+1 Architects for its application of brushed cladding and oiled wooden elements, which they said contributed to the depth and warmth of the school’s minimalist form.<\/p>\n

“[It’s] wonderful that children can experience such a warm, inviting atmosphere in a school,” said the judges, noting the way in which the architecture studio used contemporary timber design to reinterpret local building traditions.<\/p>\n

\"ThermoryA villa in Haapsalu by Apex Arhitektuurib\u00fcroo O\u00dc took home the prize for best private house. Photo by T\u00f5nu Tunnel<\/p>\n

Set within Haapsalu’s historic wooden district on Estonia’s west coast, Summer Villa took home this year’s award for best private house.<\/p>\n

Designed by Estonian studio Apex Arhitektuurib\u00fcroo O\u00dc<\/a>, the seafront home features a silvery facade clad with thermo-ash shingles and radiata pine panels produced by Thermory, as well as floor-to-ceiling glazing and sliding shutters.<\/p>\n

The jury noted the studio’s application of “lace-like timber”, which nods to Estonian architectural heritage and honours local wood traditions.<\/p>\n

According to the judges, Summer Villa demonstrates “the right level of crazy” in its craftsmanship, blending with its coastal setting \u2013 “but not in a predictable way”.<\/p>\n

\"J\u00f5el\u00e4htmeJ\u00f5el\u00e4htme Juveel, a project developed by Lasita \u2013 Perfecting Views, won the best interior design award. Photo by Karl Kasep\u00f5ld<\/p>\n

Also in Estonia, J\u00f5el\u00e4htme Juveel is a home located by a golf course that received the best interior award. The project was developed by window manufacturer Lasita \u2013 Perfecting Views<\/a>, with the project designed by Tallinn-based architect Annika Valkna<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When creating the interior, the Lasita team looked to wabi-sabi, the Japanese design philosophy that celebrates imperfection and impermanence.<\/p>\n

\"ThermoryThe Lasita team picked Thermory thermo-ash walls. Photo by Karl Kasep\u00f5ld<\/p>\n

They paired Thermory thermo-ash walls with light CLT surfaces and subtly limewashed ceilings to achieve what the jury described as an “exquisite use of wood\u2013like elegant clothing”.<\/p>\n

The judges praised the home’s various hidden doors and refined joints. They also noted the decision to insert Thermory thermo-pine ceilings in the bathroom and also on the building’s exterior canopy to sensitively “blur boundaries between inside and out”.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Baltimore Ravens’ Under Armour Performance Centre won the award for best spa and sauna. Photo by Ema Peter Photography<\/p>\n

Designed by American studio ZGF Architects<\/a>, the Baltimore Ravens’ Under Armour Performance Centre in Baltimore, US took home the award for best sauna and spa.<\/p>\n

The studio applied a custom Thermory thermo-magnolia ceiling to the centre, using the same material to clad the dedicated sauna.<\/p>\n

Natural light filters through a bespoke skylight in the hydrotherapy suite, prompting the jury to describe the architecture as “immersive and sensory”.<\/p>\n

“You can almost feel the water and scent of wood,” they said.<\/p>\n

The project was part of a wider renovation project by ZGF Architects, completed in July.<\/p>\n

\"Skylights\"Designed by American studio ZGF Architects, the project won the best sauna and spa award. Photo by Ema Peter Photography<\/p>\n

The 2025 jury featured Italian architect Alberto Salvadori of Quiet Architecture<\/a>, as well as Estonian architects Karl Kiisel of DOKK Architects<\/a> and Sander Aas of the studio Arhitekt 11<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thermory representatives Katrin Reinaste-Parve and Hannes Tarn were also on the panel.<\/p>\n

“The Thermory Design Awards celebrate the versatility, sustainability, and enduring beauty of wood in architecture and design,” said the timber supplier.<\/p>\n

“Each project reflects how thermally modified wood can shape spaces that are both innovative and human\u2013designed to last for generations, while staying in harmony with nature.”<\/p>\n

For more information on the Thermory Design Awards, visit its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is courtesy of Thermory Design Awards.<\/p>\n

Partnership content<\/strong><\/p>\n

This article was written by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Thermory. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here<\/a>.<\/p>\n