Russwood’s collaboration with makmono for ASA Design Awards
Russwood have been working closely with Joe and Aimee from makmono over the past few months, to supply appropriate timber and coatings for the bases of the Project of the Year Awards for the Aberdeen Society of Architecture (ASA) Design Awards which were held at Union Kirk in Aberdeen on 15 March 2024.
The brief
makmono were given a brief to produce models for the previous 7 winners, along with one for the 2024 winner, which was yet to be decided. ASA and makmono had discussed the base material would be timber, and it was at this stage makmono were introduced to timber experts, Russwood.
Russwood’s Founder, John Russell, and Marketing Executive, Amy Conboy, met with Joe & Aimee to discuss the designs, and agree what timber would be the best suited to create the bases.
The process
makmono designed unique bases for each model taking inspiration from each of the winning projects. Amy & John worked with makmono to supply the correct timber and coatings to help bring Joe & Aimee’s visions to life. With the 2024 winner announced on the night, it was imperative that enough timber would be supplied to allow makmono full flexibility to create a design, inspired by the winner, nearer to the awards time.
Some bases included intricate cuts of timber being laminated together to achieve the complex designs so it was important to use a stable species that could cope with the process. It was also important to use a timber that would be compatible with coatings, to allow as much freedom in the design process as possible. Russwood supplied 4 timbers in total; Scotlarch®, a homegrown timber which weathers naturally to a silver/grey tone, Grandis Select®, with pink hues, along with modified timbers Accoya® and Thermopine® which have enhanced stability and durability to ensure optimum coating performance.
The result
The final 8 designs were revealed at the ASA Design Awards. Russwood sponsored the Project of the Year award for 2024, which was won by Union Terrace Gardens by Stallan-Brand! A great night was had by all, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s event.
It has been a pleasure working with Russwood on the Project of the Year models for the Aberdeen Society of Architects. They were a fantastic help and provided all the timber and coatings we could possibly need to produce the intricate timber bases. We were thrilled to work with such a diversity of stunning timbers from modified Thermopine® to the eucalyptus Grandis Select®. Having access to these timbers was a treat and really helped reflect the unique character of each of the Project of the Year Winners. A special thanks to Russwood’s founder, John Russell, and Marketing Executive, Amy Conboy, who were our diligent contacts as we requested different coatings and timbers.
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