dwp | Design Worldwide Partnership’s work in designing the Eric Tweedale Stadium, located in Granville Park, has seen the practice win the Australian Timber Design Award for 2021.

In addition to winning the overall Award for Timber design, the project delivered dwp a win in the Commercial and Public Buildings and Excellence in Engineering categories.

The stadium has received a number of accolades since its completion earlier this year. It has been featured on Australian television and a number of publications across the globe. It is recognised as the first structure of its kind to use glulam timber, representing an impressive achievement in architectural design and timber engineering.

dwp Design Director, Ivana Simkovic, says sustainable design principles were front of mind for the length of the design process.

“Sustainable design is central to what we do at dwp and therefore environmental sustainability was an important objective of the project and timber construction was key to achieving this. The use of a mass timber structure in the Stadium is the first use of glulam timber for this type of facility in Australia and represents an impressive achievement and benchmark in timber engineering.”

eric tweedale stadium

The Australian Timber Design Awards celebrate the design and construction of timber structures. Entering its 22nd year, the Awards are distinguished by a proud heritage of winning projects that demonstrate innovation. dwp says the accolade speaks to the practice’s design expertise, commitment to sustainability and dedication to its ethos: ‘Design for a Better world’.

The stadium holds a strong connection to its local environment and the history of Cumberland Plains, with its form and materiality responding to the site’s heritage. It features a grandstand with change rooms, multipurpose room, first-floor function space, commercial kitchen and outdoor viewing deck. The glulam roof cantilevers over eight meters over the seating, creating a simple yet strikingly beautiful form that also gives historical reference to the forest that once dominated the site.

“The Eric Tweedale Stadium is a truly outstanding project and it is the outcome of great work by a cohesive project team led by an exceptional Design Director, Ivana Simkovic of dwp Sydney studio,” says Michael Hegarty, dwp CEO.

“The team included the Cumberland City Council client with a clear vision, the supportive end-users and project stakeholders, skilled engineers and resilient builders who worked through the challenges of the last two years. They have collectively created a beautiful building that celebrates its place and its purpose. The Stadium is already well loved by the users, it creates positive experiences because of its design, as joyful as a musical composition and Ivana was the ‘conductor of the orchestra’. She firstly imagined the architectural form, then meticulously designed it and, with great determination, she resisted unnecessary compromises to ensure that the team delivered.

eric tweedale stadium

“It’s simply fantastic to win the Australian Timber Design Award 2021. This award is greatly deserved industry recognition of the design skills and drive of Ivana Simkovic and the dwp team. I congratulate everyone involved and I especially want to thank Cumberland City Council for supporting our design vision. We also would like to extend our appreciation to our colleagues at Northrop Engineers who shared the drive for sustainable design solutions, Belmadar, the contractor and Rubner who supplied the timber, as well as all other consultants who worked with us on this project. Thank you to the Timber Development Association for this recognition - we are honoured to be the recipients of this award.”

For the full list of winners at the 2021 Australian Timber Design Award, click here.
https://tda.partica.online/tda/tda_2021_ebook/flipbook/1/

Jarrod Reedie

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