A total of eleven projects have been shortlisted for RIBA East Midlands 2015 Awards, featuring buildings by Evans Vettori, Make, Orms, and Studio Gedye. All shortlisted buildings will now be assessed by a regional jury. Regional winners will then be considered for a RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, the results of which will place some projects in the running for the 2015 RIBA Stirling Prize.
See the complete list of shortlisted projects after the break.
Archbishop’s Palace, Southwell / Mark Goodwill-Hodgson
This 14th Century scheduled monument required sensitive conservation including replacement lime based pointing, and an upgrade to provide facilities for music, education and community outreach, linked to the work of Southwell Minster. The key aspect was to provide better access to the historic first floor State Chamber, which was done by installing an innovative lifting platform using theatre technology.
Derby Arena, Derby / FaulknerBrowns
Derby Arena sets a new standard for local authority sports facilities providing an aspirational and invigorating place to participate in sport. The Arena contains a uniquely raised 250m indoor cycle track allowing unimpeded access below to a central multi-use sports infield which, together with a 1500 spectator grandstand, additionally creates a space for cultural and music events. Extensive café foyer, fitness and multi-function rooms flank one side of the cycle track with the spectator grandstand opposite. The dynamic external form, which tightly shrink wraps the internal accommodation, provides a new truly iconic civic building for Derby.
King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester / Maber
Following the discovery of the remains of King Richard III in a Leicester car park, Leicester City Council commissioned a new visitor centre to tell the extraordinary story behind the archaeological find of the century. The project saw a former grammar school located next to the King's grave transformed into the home of a stunning exhibition – King Richard III Dynasty, Death and Discovery. The Visitor Centre has been designed to provide a high quality environment suited to tell the story of a former King of England and provide a dignified and thought-provoking place to display his grave.
Leicester Market Food Hall, Leicester / Greig + Stephenson
The new food hall is constructed from steel, glass and timber with a zinc roof. This provides a new home for the meat, fish and deli traders who were trading in the indoor market hall. The form of the new food hall has taken its influence from the scale and proportions of the adjacent Corn Exchange and the surrounding context. To achieve a flexible trading environment the curved beams allow clear spans with minimal interruptions from the columns on the trading floor.
Parkside, Matlock / Evans Vettori Architects
Along an active pedestrian route, Parkside creates a new civic pause for shoppers, tourists and residents in the heart of Matlock. Accommodating four street level retail units and 10 apartments, the new block stands crisp and strong alongside the Victorian Olde Englishe Hotel. Drawing compositional cues drawn from its context, it expresses contemporary simplicity, resting politely alongside, rather than competing with its historic neighbours. Deliberately civic, rather than domestic in scale, elevations present a grid of generous openings with fine quality detailing fundamental throughout.
Private House, Leicester / Feldmann Architects
This Victorian villa had been significantly altered by previous owners. A key ambition was to retain the character of the villa and carefully restore the original features of the building, whilst changing the orientation of the house towards the garden and to improve the flow between the rooms on the ground floor. Two contemporary extensions have been added for a kitchen and an office, which face the garden and are both connected to the existing lounge. The work included insulating all walls internally or externally and new double-glazed timber windows were installed throughout. The extensions have highly insulated walls, floors and sedum roofs with overhangs to prevent excessive heat gain.
Private House, Tur Langton, Leicestershire / Leaf Architecture & Design
The proposal was for a modest scale, modern yet subtle extension to a Grade II* Listed Georgian property which forms both a physical and visual link between the house, garden and coach house as well as a new central family space. It responds to two very different character zones - the semi-public driveway and private garden. The space was previously occupied by a conservatory, which was rarely used, overlooking a small insignificant hard landscaped space; this small newly-created structure is now at the centre of family life throughout the year.
Silverstone University Technical College, Northamptonshire / HKS Architects
Silverstone UTC offers courses for up to 570 14 – 19 year olds in both Technical Event Management and High Performance Engineering, alongside traditional academic subjects - taking advantage of its geographic location in the heart of England’s ‘Motorsport Valley’ at Silverstone’s famous Copse corner. The linear planning of the facilities makes the building immediately legible to the visitor and user alike. The massing and orientation of the scheme emerged from the optimisation of four key requirements: internal function; construction programme and cost efficiency; acoustic and environmental (low energy) performance.
The Barn, The University of Nottingham Sutton Bonington Campus, Nottinghamshire / Make
The Barn unites the previously disparate dining hall, bar, student services and social spaces under one roof. Located at the heart of this campus, the 4,250 sq.m building is arranged to encourage pedestrian flow and maximise views of the surrounding landscape, and establishes a strong connection between the building and the campus. The inventive use of natural building materials such as brick and timber, combined with an abundance of natural light, creates a luminous, warm and welcoming environment with a real sense of presence.
Uppingham School Science Centre, Uppingham, Rutland / Orms
The Science Centre is the final phase of the Uppingham School Western Quad master plan. The 45,000sqft ‘L’ shaped building comprises of three complementary volumes around a grassed quad, which physically and intellectually connects science with sport, art, and mathematics. The brief was to create a destination for top science teachers and pupils, to put it on the radar of university departments and to reach out to other schools. The ethos is to open up science to all and to facilitate links with other academic and extracurricular pursuits.
Yoga Studio, Hathersage, Derbyshire / Studio Gedye
This yoga studio sits on the edge of the settlement, gently curving along the rear boundary to exploit a gap in the village to frame a spectacular view across the hills. The adjoining garage extends the studio across the rear boundary, creating a curved stone edge to a footpath on one side and a sheltered entry on the garden side. The result is a calm space for yoga and a much admired place for people to meet and start classes. The building was designed, engineered and built by villagers.
All shortlisted buildings will now be assessed by a regional jury with the winners announced on the evening of Wednesday 22nd April 2015 in Leicester.
Shortlist Announced For 2015 RIBA London Awards
Shortlist Announced For 2015 RIBA North West Awards
