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 | | LSI ARCHITECTS DESIGNS ARE SHORT LISTED FOR 3 REGIONAL AWARDS | | | LSI Architects | | 03/10/2007 | | | LSI Architects has announced today that 2 highly acclaimed schemes designed by the London and Norwich based practice have been short listed for 3 RIBA East Spirit of Ingenuity Architectural Awards 2007. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) East launched its annual Regional Awards initiative in April and the short listed schemes (18 in total) will be visited by an Awards Jury during early August.
The RIBA East architectural award scheme is aimed at celebrating the ingenuity, design excellence and innovativeness of architects and architecture across the Eastern region’s six counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex (excluding London Boroughs). These awards have been designed to draw greater public awareness to the fine architecture and to the design skills of architects within the region. The Awards are also intended to complement the National RIBA Awards, which, due to their national coverage, cannot adequately reward or recognise the creativity that exists within the East of England.
The winners in each category will be announced one week before the official RIBA East Regional Awards Ceremony and Dinner which is being held on the evening of 28th September in the recently refurbished West Wing at Ickworth House, Horringer in Suffolk.
The schemes designed by LSI Architects which have been short listed for 3 Regional Awards are:
Community Architecture Award
• Cley Marshes Reserve Visitor Centre, Norfolk – LSI Architects LLP
Sustainability Award
• Cley Marshes Reserve Visitor Centre, Norfolk – LSI Architects LLP
Architecture for Business Award
• The Atrium & Surrey House, Norwich, Norfolk – LSI Architects LLP
Cley Marshes Reserve Visitor Centre is a new, cutting-edge, sustainable Visitor Centre at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s (NWT) Nature Reserve on the North Norfolk Coast. The new £675k facility, commissioned by NWT in November 2004, utilises an extensive range of sustainable features and materials to minimise the environmental impact of the building on its surroundings. The new Centre provides Cley with a valuable community resource and visitors with an inspiring, ground-hugging building from which they can enjoy and learn about this unique and beautiful environment. The new development includes a reception, shop, café, observation and interpretation space with new interactive and educational equipment.
The project consisted of the design and construction a new Visitor Centre and surrounding external works, together with the refurbishment of an existing timber and thatch visitor facility at the site. The car park capacity has also been increased, from 40 to 130 spaces.
The early 20th Century Surrey House in Norwich was originally Norwich Union’s headquarters, and designed by notable Edwardian architect from Norwich, George Skipper. Renowned for its exuberant marble interior and architectural majesty, the Surrey Street building has been imaginatively redeveloped and refurbished by LSI Architects to uniquely blend the architectural splendour of the past with a stunning, contemporary new-look Atrium. The innovative steel-and-glass Atrium has created a dynamic four-storey high social space forming a central hub to Norwich Union’s Head Office – ‘The Island Site’, and is a major component of the refurbishment of the entire Island Site, a project development by Land Securities Trillium. The Atrium connects three wings of offices that were constructed in the 1960’s and 1970’s – and importantly provides a unique setting for Surrey House, a Grade 1 listed building.
Surrey House is recognised as a key symbol of Norwich Union’s commitment to Norwich and is a key public building for Norwich Union. It forms the ante chamber for a processional entrance into the Island Site, as originally intended by Skipper. Visitors enter Surrey House through the ceremonial front door and are met in the exquisite Marble Hall. They proceed on axis, passing through a new formed opening at the back of Surrey House, and out across a new bridge into the Atrium. The space is defined by an arrangement of four grand columns resembling trees spreading out at high level to support a light glazed domed roof that evokes the top lit domed roof of the Marble Hall. The integration of Surrey House and the Marble Hall with the Atrium is a striking architectural arrangement that also reflects the history of Norwich Union, and through the architecture of the Atrium, the twenty-first century aspirations of the company.
The new Atrium to the Norwich Union Offices in Surrey Street, Norwich and the refurbishment of Surrey House both won a Norfolk Association of Architects (NAA) Craftsmanship Award this year. The Awards were held in collaboration with the National Federation of Builders to recognise outstanding skills and craftsmanship by trades people, architects and building contractors in Norfolk.
David Ridel, a Principal Member of LSI Architects, commented: “The practice is delighted that these schemes designed by our team have been short listed for 3 prestigious Regional Awards. I would like to thank our valued clients, the project teams involved and our staff for all their hard work and collaboration on these schemes.”
Louise Todd, Regional Director of RIBA East said: “The Regional Awards highlight the design contributions made by talented architects working within the East of England and are open to RIBA architects and practices based in the East of England for projects within the region. We are delighted with the number of entries and quality of projects received this year from both architects and their clients.” | |
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