During a presentation evening in Melbourne the 2017 Australian Timber Design Awards were announced. The Stand-alone Structures category attracted an impressive group of submissions from across Australia and the the Jury selected 4 projects to proceed to the finalists stage. Nicole Larkin was shortlisted among the finalists for the Stand-alone Structures, Rising Star and Paneling System award. Her piece 'Dynamics in Impermanence' and subsequently received the award for best Stand-alone Structure.

Produced for exhibition at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi this piece is a freestanding pavilion constructed from birch plywood. It's iconic and distinctive form is a direct product of the versatile material properties of plywood and an unconventional approach towards design and fabrication. Fundamentally the piece aims to exploit the lithe properties and engineered strength of birch ply. This was coupled with precision digital fabrication to create a timber structure which acts as both robust exoskeleton and supple skin. Being otherwise seperate but parallel undertakings, design and fabrication were fused into one process to produce this piece. In this, the design moved fluidly between physical prototypes, sketches and documented designs. Detailing was also driven by this process, minimising mechanical fixings and allowing the plywood to act as a free standing shell. It is an exemplary project for it's pursuit and celebration of new frontiers in timber material performance.