Rievaulx Abbey shortlisted for national building award

The new Rievaulx Abbey visitor centre and museum, near Helmsley, North Yorkshire, is competing in the Wood Awards 2017.

The building, which includes café, retail and exhibition space, and the museum, benefited from a £1.9m investment and opened to visitors in summer 2016.

Architects Simpson & Brown designed the scheme which was overseen by English Heritage.

The building includes a new central hall, which was inserted into the existing L-shaped timber visitor centre.

The new structural frame was designed to the echo the existing columns and arches of the abbey ruins.

It was built off-site to solve the problems of a restricted construction area and a tight programme over winter.

The building will compete in the commercial and leisure category of the Wood Awards against Hastings Pier, Weald & Downland Living Museum and Historic Dockyard Chatham.

Earlier this year it was awarded one of the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects’ Regional Awards for Yorkshire.