ACME’s Leeds shopping centre among nine RIBA Yorkshire winners
ACME’s new Victoria Gate shopping centre in Leeds has been named 2017 Building of the Year in the RIBA’s Yorkshire regional awards.
The much-publicised £164 million retail scheme was among nine award-winners in the region – an increase of three from 2016.
There were also honours for Simpson & Brown’s Rievaulx Abbey Visitor Centre, a BDP-designed biomass plant, a food hall for Marks & Spencer in Northallerton by GT3 Archtects, a private house in Malton by Tom Brooksbank Architecture and Studio Partington’s Derwenthorpe housing.
Innovative retrofit projects by Thomas Ford & Partners at Wakefield Cathedral and by De Matos Ryan at York’s Theatre Royal also picked up awards, as did a toilet block in York by Mass Architecture, which also took home the region’s Best Small Project title.
Speaking about the winners, Vijay Taheem, RIBA Yorkshire jury chair, said: ‘It was a privilege to witness so many excellent projects, ranging from small crafted schemes to the monumental and including the preservation of historic buildings. These projects demonstrated the added value of thoughtful detailing – and that well-designed spaces can have a lasting impact in enhancing the wellbeing of all users and create beautiful cities and places.’
He added: ‘The selected buildings are truly a testament to the commitment of both dedicated clients and visionary design teams and their contribution to the legacy of our architectural heritage.’
All the victorious buildings will now go on to be considered for national honours, with the successful projects revealed in June. The six finalists for the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize will be drawn from these national winners.
Started in 2012, the project for the architect’s parents took three years to complete – including 12 months for construction. The site for Cunelands House was consolidated from two semi-detached cottages plus their associated wash-houses and a neighbouring walled ‘kitchen-garden.’ The brief called for a home with a master bedroom on the ground floor, strong connections to the garden and landscape as well as the emulation of key details in the family home from which they have now ‘down-sized’.