Air New Zealand’s Hangar 4, designed by Studio Pacific Architecture, has claimed the Resene Supreme Award, the highest honour at this year’s Timber Design Awards, at the 51st Gala Dinner hosted by Timber Unlimited.

The judging panel called the project a benchmark achievement, praising its blend of innovation and engineering elegance. Built using a combination of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and cross-laminated timber (CLT), Hangar 4 showcases timber’s environmental credentials, seismic resilience and corrosion resistance, offering a lighter alternative in a building sector traditionally dominated by steel. The project also picked up the Nelson Pine Commercial & Industrial Building Design Award (jointly with Kai Tahi, Porirua) and the Rothoblaas Innovative Timber Engineering Award.

This year’s awards drew 132 entries across 52 projects, with 17 category winners and 11 Highly Commended projects recognised on the night.

The Simpson Strong-Tie People’s Choice Award went to 211 High Street, submitted by Ignite Architects, after more than 700 votes were cast during a 48-hour public voting window; a sign of the growing public interest in timber construction.

Other standout winners included AUT Tukutuku by Jasmax, which took out both the Abodo Sustainable Development Award and the Red Stag Mid-Rise Building Design Award. The University of Auckland featured prominently across the student and innovation categories, with James Corles winning the Timber Design Society Student Design Award for Grainform, and Anthony Hōete recognised in the Spec Toolbox Innovative Timber Manufacturing & Technology Award for Whare Mīmirū, a seismically resilient structure incorporating Māori post-tensioning techniques.

The Build Anatomy International Project Award was jointly awarded to Red Stag Timberlab for its Timber Nets on Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel Project, and to PTL Structural + Fire for the Majuro ECC Sports Stadium in the Marshall Islands, recognising New Zealand timber expertise on the world stage.

te whare hononga, tennent brown architects, andy spain
Te Whare Hononga, Tennent Brown Architects, Andy Spain

Other category winners included Partridge Jewellers in Queenstown (Interior Design Award), Summerset Milldale (Residential Design Award for Multi-Unit Residential Building), Te Whare Hononga by Tennent Brown Architects (Public & Community Building Award), University of Auckland B201 by Jasmax (Hybrid Building Award), and Living House by RTA Studio (Residential Design Award for Single Family Dwelling).

Daniel Scheibmair, Chair of Timber Unlimited, said the quality of entries reflected the growing maturity of New Zealand’s timber sector. “What stood out wasn’t just the quality of the winning projects, but the willingness of our industry to share knowledge so openly throughout the day. That’s how we continue to grow confidence in timber and deliver even better outcomes for clients and communities,” he said.

A lighter moment on the night saw native seedling table centrepieces, sponsored by PEFC New Zealand, given away to attendees at the end of the evening. Every seedling found a new home.

Timber Unlimited thanked judges Tom Webster, Katie Symons, Huia Reriti and David Carradine, along with sponsors Resene, Simpson Strong-Tie, Red Stag, XLAM, Techlam, Prolam, Rothoblaas, Build Anatomy, Nelson Pine, Abodo, Spec Toolbox, Eurotec, Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA and the Timber Design Society for their ongoing support of the awards and the industry.

Full results are available on the Timber Unlimited website.