New buildings win architecture awards

The Yorkshire buildings are among 59 buildings in the UK and Europe which have received awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) today. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize, for the best building of the year, will be drawn from these winners.

The three Yorkshire buildings that have today won National RIBA Awards are: The Hepworth, Wakefield, designed by David Chipperfield Architects; Saxton, Leeds, which has seen the refurbishment of two derelict council housing blocks into homes, by Union North Architects and Kirk Balk Community College, Barnsley, designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.

Angela Brady, RIBA president, said: “For nearly 50 years the RIBA Awards have reflected the changing state of British architecture and revealed emerging design trends. What really stands out is that even in times of austerity, we can still deliver amazingly clever, high quality buildings that reflect the needs of today and enhance our daily lives.”

The judges said of The Hepworth, Wakefield’s new art gallery: “Approached across an elegant bridge the gallery’s scale changes.

“What appears to be a fairly random set of boxes in plan soon reveals its logic, with spaces such as the shop, cafe, education room and offices on the ground floor radiating out from the entrance space.”

In addition four buildings are winners of the regional RIBA Yorkshire, White Rose Awards. They have been awarded to: Ad++ House, York, Coffey Architects; Cliffe Hill Primary School, Halifax, Aedas Architects; The Horsefield House, Sheffield, Prue Chiles Architects and M&S Simply Foods, Sheffield, Lewis & Hickey Architects.