An Award-Winning Designer’s Philosophy Towards Sustainable Design

Matt Woods, the one-man team behind the Killing Matt Woods studio, certainly has that transcendent sense of style.

An award-winning designer based in Sydney, Australia, Woods has established a reputation as one of the most exciting designers in the industry, with outlets like The New York Times Style Magazine: Australia highlighting his eco-conscious designs and thoughtful aesthetics.

Woods has won awards like Best Residential Project in the 2020 Dulux Color Awards, Designer of the Year for the 2011 Design Excellence Awards, and many more honors.

Continue reading to learn more about Woods’ approach to sustainable interiors, how he’s using Vectorworks to create his award-winning designs, and advice for other designers.

A Sustainable Approach to Interiors

An industrial designer by training, Woods prides himself in his ability to take different approaches to building and interior designs. One of the most compelling ways this perspective comes through is in Woods’ philosophy of “designing for deconstruction.”

According to Woods, this approach, in its simplest sense, is “a way of designing [spaces and buildings] in a way that they can be broken down or deconstructed at the end of a project.” The design philosophy stems from the high turnover rate of businesses in the hospitability industry, a market Woods designs for frequently.

Sustainable Residential Projects vs. Commercial Projects

Woods acknowledged how his sustainable efforts and edgier style work in harmony with one another. “I’ll often use timbers as an example. I’ll always go for a reclaimed or recycled bit of timber over a brand-new, freshly milled piece of timber because there’s going to be some imperfection that I like.”

The use of reclaimed timber and other sustainable materials, such as VOC-free paint, are some of the eco-conscious measures Woods takes for residential projects. Since there’s less turnover in residential spaces than in commercial, such materials are how Woods still satisfies his passion for sustainable building design when “designing for deconstruction” isn’t the priority.

One of Woods’ most compelling residential projects is the award-winning Perfect Storm. The dramatic, brutalist space is a point of pride for Woods, who acknowledged how the restraints that are inherent to residential projects, in fact, “make the project.”

How Matt Woods Uses Vectorworks to Create Award-Winning Designs

Woods has been using Vectorworks for nearly 20 years, and it’s the only digital design software he uses.

The level of detail Woods puts into a project is on a case-by-case basis, but he always loves working in Vectorworks. The designer cites the “flexibility” the software offers him when working on 3D modeling and 2D drafting alike as being a tremendous plus.

Woods uses Vectorworks templates and symbols at the start of his project. These help him maintain a visual standard and control over 2D and 3D visuals. Using these standards, he’s able to easily repeat his approaches and carry detail over from project to project.

He also uses Vectorworks for the modular designs and considerations when “designing for deconstruction.” The previously mentioned ceiling structure, for example, is planned out using Vectorworks’ precise drawing tools.

To communicate these designs and their specifics, Woods finds Clip Cube viewports to be very helpful.