Thanks to Ruth for sharing details of this shortlist. Ed
Sustainability and compatibility with surroundings and communities are the two most crucial factors in the 2014 Solent Design Awards – and each of the seven shortlisted contenders is a best-practice example of both.
From offices at Eastleigh House, flexible teaching studios and student accommodation at the University of Winchester, a public square and civic buildings in Ringwood, to a mixed use redevelopment at St. Valentines Close in Winchester, the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth; and a new two-storey building at Ryde School on the Isle of Wight – all this year’s architectural highlights have been built both to suit the place and the people, as well as to survive well into the future.
Solent Design Awards
The biennial Solent Design Awards – organised by the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH), and once again sponsored by housing and construction company Bouygues UK – were initiated to encourage the building of places and spaces in which the community wanted to live and work and in which they had pride. And each of the shortlisted schemes does exactly this, showing how a well designed and environmentally friendly building really can provide a welcoming and personal place which is of value not only to the user, but also to the wider community now and in the future.
The University of Portsmouth’s Paul Grover, who has helped manage the Awards, is delighted by the theme emerging from the shortlist:
“They all genuinely incorporate a ‘designed for all’ inclusivity and connectivity which, combined with the high level of sustainability, has been the aim of our Solent Design Awards since their inception. I’m particularly thrilled that our educational and civic buildings are being designed to be open and welcoming, and that courtyards, squares and gardens are integral to so many.
“I know personally just how important it is for teaching and living areas to be as flexible, serene and open as possible, and I’m particularly impressed that we have three very different educational schemes on our shortlist. It’s another excellent example of how architects and planners are coming together to build for the future.
“In addition, the shortlist panel was impressed by three very different civic buildings. Our public sector is to be applauded, not only for helping our tourist industry but also for its desire to encourage community involvement and transparency. Similarly, the private mixed-use redevelopment at Winchester demonstrates how good modern design can sit sympathetically with its surroundings and even enhance Victorian and Edwardian architecture.”
Three awards up for grabs
This year, there are three Awards: a Quality Places Award; a new Urban Design Award (sponsored by the Urban Design Group); and the People’s Choice Award.
The final judging by an expert panel will include: town planner and urban designer, Lisa Jackson; RIBA Awards judge, architect, lecturer and design tutor at the University of Westminster, Peter Barber; Built Environment Expert and urban designer, Liz Kessler of the Urban Design Group (and also a member of CABE’s panel of experts); and Martin Pearce, author and Principal Architecture Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth (also external examiner for RIBA’s Professional Education Committee, and chair of the Isle of Wight RIBA Awards).
But it’s not only the panel that decides; the community is also being asked to vote for its winning choice.
Councillor Sean Woodward, Chairman of Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH), says:
“The public vote is as just as important as our judges’ decision. After all, people live and work in these places and spaces and so their decision is vital in choosing the best design.”
Start voting from 13th October
Voting for the People’s Choice opens on the 13th October, so the public can choose their favourite; all designs can be found at online from the 8th October and votes can be cast until 3rd November, simply by clicking on the button next to your favourite scheme, in time for the Grand Awards Ceremony at the Mary Rose Museum on 20th November.
