‘Connecting our natural and national heritage’ – Urban Nature Project wins Gold Award with masterclass in landscape-led, timber design
‘Connecting our natural and national heritage’ – Urban Nature Project wins Gold Award with masterclass in landscape-led, timber design
An enchanting transformation of the Natural History Museum’s grounds, including a new café and education building, has been named the UK’s best new timber project, having won the Gold Award at the Wood Awards 2025.
Sensitively integrating two new buildings within the relandscaped gardens of the Natural History Museum, the Urban Nature Project, led by Feilden Fowles, is a triumph of sustainable, landscape-led development.
Five acres of underused garden have been transformed into an oasis of urban nature, telling the story of change on our planet over time. Nestled amidst this verdant setting are two timber and stone buildings: the Garden Kitchen, a visitor café, and the Nature Activity Centre, providing space for youth learning activities and scientific research.
Combining a Douglas fir glulam timber frame with a load-bearing masonry façade, the café features a stepped roof with a glazed lantern and openable panels for natural ventilation. The education pavilion takes a low barn-like form with long elevations. Its asymmetric pitched roof – formed from solid Douglas Fir and artfully clad with Western Red Cedar shingles – projects dramatically to provide sheltered seating space, as well as celebrating the capture of rainwater. Both spaces are characterised by carefully detailed, efficient timber structures that are expressed throughout.
Jim Greaves, principal of Hopkins Architects and lead Buildings judge, said:
“Feilden Fowles’ scheme has transformed the approach to the Natural History Museum, creating a journey through geological time with the creation of a series of outdoor living galleries. Sitting calmy within this setting are two new timber buildings, at one with the landscape and complementing the Waterhouse masterpiece behind.
“The project, in its entirety, exemplifies environmental sensitivity and thoughtful timber detailing. Throughout, the timber is visible but protected; light and elegant; using simple, economic joinery to create legible, highly refined buildings that are at one with their setting and create valuable high-use spaces for a much-loved public institution.”
The Wood Awards building judges, a team of world-leading professionals led by Jim Greaves of Hopkins Architects, visited all 20 buildings shortlisted in the Wood Awards before deciding the winner, in one of the UK’s most rigorous assessments for any competition.
“The UK’s long and proud tradition of timber construction is powerfully reflected in this year’s Gold Award winner,” said David Hopkins, CEO of Timber Development UK (lead organisers of the Wood Awards).
“It is a project that brings our natural heritage – sustainable forestry, healthy woodlands and exceptional craftsmanship – into the heart of our national heritage in an outstanding public and educational setting.
“I would like to congratulate the entire team behind the Urban Nature Project and applaud all the entrants to this year’s Wood Awards, who collectively show how timber can drive the transition to a low-carbon built environment while delivering places of remarkable beauty.“
You can find out more information about all of the 2025 Wood Award winners by visiting www.woodawards.com.
As a not-for-profit competition, the Wood Awards can only happen with collaborative industry sponsorship. A huge thank you for continued support from The Carpenters’ Company, American Hardwood Export Council and Timber Development UK.
The Wood Awards is the UK’s premier competition for excellence in architecture and product design in wood. Established in 1971, the Wood Awards recognises, encourages, and promotes outstanding wood design, craftsmanship and installation.
Through the Wood Awards, we aim to continually encourage British designers and manufacturers to aim ever higher in the design world and showcase some of their incredible achievements to a national and international audience.
An international creative collaborator and invaluable material resource, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) is the global face of U.S. hardwoods, championing their performance, sustainability and aesthetic potential to timber markets all over the world.
The Carpenters’ Company is a City of London Livery Company. The Company was originally established as a medieval trade guild to safe guard the welfare and interests of carpenters in the City of London. Today, charitable activities and support for the craft of woodworking through scholarships, competitions and the Building Crafts College are the two cornerstones of its work.
Timber Development UK (organisers of the Wood Awards)
Timber Development UK has been formed from the merger of two of the largest and longest established organisations in the supply chain, the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA).
Bringing these two associations together as one will create the largest, most comprehensive supply chain body in the UK, spanning from sawmill to specifier and all points in between. We want to use this new organisation to capitalise on the growing interest in designing with timber and to act as an agent of change towards more sustainable, low carbon forms of construction.
