Last night, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced the winners of its major annual awards at a ceremony. So, the best customer of the year became Manchester Metropolitan University. He was nominated for this award by architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios - so much they enjoyed collaborating with the university on projects for the Manchester School of the Arts and the School of Business.
The authors of the best building in Great Britain-2014, architects Haworth Tompkins are known for their reconstruction of theaters (for one of them, London's Young Vic Theater, they already
were nominated for the Stirling Prize in 2007) and temporary spectacular structures, of which there are already more than a dozen. Eurymane was their first completely new theater - and it also brought them their first Sterling Award.
But, despite its novelty from a technical point of view, "Eurymane" was inherently more "recreation" than other real reconstructions. Its new building was erected on the site of the old chapel of the 19th century, rebuilt in 1964 as a theater, and 90% of the materials of this dismantled building were used in the construction. It is not for nothing that the theater is called "Eurymen" - "every man": it was originally designed for the widest audience, "belonged" to it and was very much loved by the public, but its building was very dilapidated and therefore was demolished. Therefore, the main task of the architects was to recreate in the new building the atmosphere of informality and openness, for which the townspeople loved the theater so much.
According to customers and the public, it was quite successful. The architects have achieved an unusually high level of accessibility for a theater building, and also equipped their building with three foyers with bars, bistros and lounges, where you can go at any time of the day - even long before the performance.
The context was particularly challenging: the building is located in the historic center, on a street connecting two famous cathedrals - the Anglican and the Catholic. The facade of the theater does not violate the appearance of the existing buildings, but it does not obey it either: the folded sunscreen with the image of 150 Liverpudlians immediately attracts attention.
Also, among the advantages of the building, the jury named very spacious, despite the tightness of the site, premises, as well as the "green" components of the project. Besides recycled materials, this natural ventilation in all parts of the building, including the auditorium (440 seats), is one of the first examples of this in Britain. In addition, the active interaction of architects with the townspeople was noted.
"Manser's Medal", which RIBA awards for the best private house of the year, was presented by Loyn & Co. Architects for the Stormy Castle Villa. The site is located in Wales, on the Gower Peninsula, the first in the United Kingdom to receive official status as a site of exceptional natural beauty.
The villa, located on a hill, with the help of panoramic glazing, is open to the surrounding landscape, but at the same time does not violate its appearance: despite the considerable area - 725 m2 - it is neatly inscribed into the landscape.
2014 Stephen Lawrence Award awarded by Denizen Works for their House No. 7 - a private home combined with a guest house on Tyri, one of the Hebrides. This project is a renovation of a ruined traditional farmhouse, which, however, had a conservation status. The RIBA award is given to the best construction on a budget - less than £ 1 million - in memory of teenager Stephen Lawrence, who was about to become an architect, but was killed in 1993.
