Eco housing for a new community, a contemporary designed school building and a striking Council housing redevelopment were among the projects celebrated at the recent Mid Sussex Design Awards ceremony held at East Court in East Grinstead on Friday 6 November.
The Mid Sussex Design Awards celebrate the best new architectural projects in the area and acknowledge the important role that high quality design plays in enhancing the distinctive character of Mid Sussex. The awards were presented by the Rt Hon Sir Nicholas Soames MP, who congratulated Mid Sussex District Council on a very positive event and for the sterling work that had been done in promoting good design in Mid Sussex.
The Award winners were:
Sustainability Award – The Pheasantry, Turners Hill Road, Crawley Down
Sustainability Commendation – Tobias Place, East Grinstead
Small Scale Residential Award – Tobias Place, East Grinstead
Small Scale Residential Commendation – Bevan Bank
Large Scale Residential Award – Wilmington Way, Haywards Heath
Large Scale Residential Commendation – Corbett, Clayton, Cherry Tree Court, Queen
Elizabeth Avenue, Burgess Hill
Non Residential Scheme Awards – Woodlands Meed Special School
Non Residential Scheme Commendation – Cedar Lodge, Alexander House Hotel
“Our Design Awards are a fantastic way of promoting and rewarding excellence in design within Mid Sussex,” said Councillor Andrew MacNaughton, Mid Sussex District Council Corporate Communications Chief Executive Diane Talbot, Martin Faulconbridge, Julie Blackstock, Cabinet Member for Planning. “It’s all too easy for modern developers to follow existing templates and create new buildings that just look the same. We want to encourage the architects that work on projects in Mid Sussex to be bolder and more creative, because top class architectural design really enhances the character of our beautiful District.
The Judging Panel, Chaired by Giles Ings RIBA were impressed by the contributions.
In the case of Sustainability Award winners The Pheasantry, the judges commented that “not only is this a highly sustainable development, but a great example of good rural affordable housing design.” While Tobias Place, winner of the Small Scale Residential Award, had “sympathetically restored, extended and converted the building,” and “brought back into use a redundant building into apartments that will still be wonderful in 50 years’ time”.
The Large Scale Residential project at Wilmington Way was considered “a welcome departure from the ubiquitous ‘Sussex style’” which “proves that by involving the community who will live in the homes early on and by being consistent and innovative in the design approach, exceptional places for people to live can be created.”
In awarding Woodlands Meed Special School the Non-Residential Scheme Award the Judging Panel commented that “This truly is a unique piece of architecture that has responded in an extraordinarily positive way to the difficult constraints imposed by a long narrow site.
“It can be seen by the enthusiastic staff and head teacher that the architects have hit the nail on the head and designed a school that not only exceeds the specific needs of its pupils, but can be an inspiration for all new school design.”
This year’s awards were supported by Cordek, a local manufacturer of products for the construction industry.
Further information about the Mid Sussex Design Awards 2015 can be found at
www.midsussex.gov.uk/designawards.
For more information please contact Martin Faulconbridge on 01444 477478 or
Martin.Faulconbridge@midsussex.gov.uk
