The 2026 State Prize for Wood Construction was awarded for the first time to projects that make exemplary use of wood as a building material from architectural, ecological, and structural perspectives. Three grand prizes and two honorable mentions were awarded to buildings in Lower Austria, Vorarlberg, Tyrol, and Salzburg.

The 2026 Austrian State Prize for Timber Construction was awarded for the first time. According to the organizers, the prize recognized projects that set new standards for high-quality and resource-efficient construction. A total of 41 nominated projects from all federal states were in the running. The award ceremony took place on May 28 at the Sofiensäle in Vienna.

The State Prize is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions, and Water Management in collaboration with proHolz Austria and is supported by funds from the Austrian Forest Fund. In addition, an Innovation Prize for Wood was awarded for the first time.

Wood Construction as a Contribution to Climate-Resilient Building Culture
The international expert jury awarded three main prizes and two honorable mentions. Criteria evaluated included architectural quality, the appropriate use of wood, resource-efficient designs, and contributions to CO2 reduction and the circular economy.

“The buildings honored with the State Prize for Wood Construction exemplify the potential of modern wood construction in an exemplary manner: They combine high architectural quality with the ecological, resource-conserving, and innovative use of wood,” explain Nicole Kerstin Berganski, architect and professor at TU Berlin; Annette Hafner, architect and professor at Ruhr University Bochum; and structural engineer Pirmin Jung, members of the jury for the 2026 State Prize for Timber Construction.

Among the main prize winners is the expansion of the Windkraft Simonsfeld headquarters in Ernstbrunn. The timber and earthen structure complements an existing plus-energy office building and features component-activated rammed earth cores as well as a timber structure with cross-laminated timber ceilings.



The new town hall in Hohenems also received an award. The jury particularly highlighted the building’s reversible design, its flexible functionality, and the consistent integration of the “Cradle to Cradle” principle. The building was constructed by the City of Hohenems as the project owner.



The third grand prize went to the expansion of the HTL Bau und Design in Innsbruck. The project adds additional classrooms constructed using a hybrid wood-frame method to a school building dating from the 1970s. According to the jury, the project serves as an exemplary demonstration of how existing buildings can be expanded and upgraded using wood.



Awards for Residential and Educational Buildings
The Ronald McDonald House in Salzburg received an award. The hybrid wood-frame building, which features 16 residential units for families with sick children, was recognized in particular for its cozy atmosphere and spatial quality.



Another award went to the Hittisau School Campus in Vorarlberg. The jury highlighted the innovative structural design, which allows for a stacked arrangement of the auditorium and gymnasiums.


       
“The State Prize for Wood Construction highlights the high standard of wood construction in Austria,” says Richard Stralz, chairman of proHolz Austria in Vienna. Wood is a key factor in the transformation of the building sector.

According to current data from Statistics Austria, the share of timber construction in Austria currently stands at 11.6 percent. In multi-story residential construction, the share is only 4.4 percent, according to the organizers.

Wood Innovation Award Presented for the First Time
Alongside the State Prize, the Wood Innovation Award was presented for the first time. Three projects focusing on materials technology developments and the circular economy were honored.

First prize went to the project “Electrically Conductive Wood Surfaces Using Atmospheric Pressure Plasma” by Jürgen M. Lackner and the project team at Joanneum Research Materials. A process was developed that makes wood surfaces electrically conductive without the use of metallic conductive tracks.

Second prize went to the “Wood Vision Lab” in Weiz. The project focuses on the development of high-performance materials made from hardwood and, according to the submission, aims to enable new industrial applications.

Third prize was awarded to “Glulam2NewProduct.” The project develops methods for recycling dismantled wooden structures into new timber construction products and pursues a circular economy approach.

“Those who build with wood protect the climate and, by sequestering CO2, create a second forest, so to speak,” says Norbert Totschnig, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions, and Water Management in Vienna.

Source: handwerkundbau.at