The awards have been given by RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects, as they name “outstanding works of the built environment” for 2024.
The institute has been celebrating architecture for over 180 years and running the awards for 50 years.
It claims that its awards and prizes are “regarded internationally as a mark of excellence”, recognising architecture, architects, research and students.
A spokesperson for RIBA said: “Successful projects reflect changes and innovations in architecture, but at their core display a commitment to designing and developing buildings and spaces for the improvement and enhancement of people’s lives.”
Here are the some of the places awarded in north London:
Hampstead House
The house at Templewood Lane was created by modernist architect Trevor Dannatt in 1960, and was at risk of being demolished.
However it was reimagined by Coppin Dockray, who contacted Mr Dannatt about the home for an American client.
A description by the RIBA reads: “Their coherent new interventions and careful conservation demonstrate a real understanding of how to make the most of light and views.
“Poor ground-floor additions have been rationalised to establish the kitchen as the heart of the house, with living rooms to the rear. Above, a new metal-clad extension houses bedrooms. Sustainable through its retention and upgrading of building fabric and services, the house revels in a quiet mastery of its materials palette, both inside and out.”
22 Handyside Street
This three-storey office near King’s Cross station, was designed by the Coffey Architects.
A description reads: “Using a diagonal grid optimised the lightweight concrete and steel structure, whilst improving orientation both for views and heat gain. It also enabled the creation of a sawtooth roofline which not only references the industrial context of King’s Cross, but also creates a natural landmark on this corner site.
“The façades deploy embossed and intricately perforated aluminium panels over a variety of transparent, translucent and solid curtain walls, providing a fascinating interplay of dappled light over the façade and within.”
Brent Cross Town Visitor Pavilion
Work for the Brent Cross Town regeneration is still ongoing, as it’s set to deliver 6,700 new homes, workspaces for 25,000 people, as well as leisure facilities including restaurants and a cinema.
But the first building as part of its redevelopment – the three-storey visitor pavilion – has won an award.
A description reads: “The project creates both private and public spaces for events, exhibitions, show apartments, and offices, which, together with a café, provide a dedicated venue for the local and wider public to learn about the masterplan.
“It is designed as two short two-storey wings acting as galleries off a central double-height space, with a rooftop terrace and further accommodation on part of the third storey. The architects have conceived it with an eye towards sustainability as well as its inevitably changing role over time.”
Unity Place
Unity Place introduced 235 social rent homes as part of the 15-year South Kilburn regeneration programme.
It offers what is described as affordable homes of different sizes, along with a community hub, play space and parking.
A description reads: “Infrastructure constraints and the proximity to conservation areas and listed buildings posed challenges for the design. The architects met these with a varied but unified scheme that reinstates historical street patterns, harmonising high-density housing with the surrounding low- to medium-rise buildings through contextually sympathetic materials.”
Sycamore House
After the sudden death of his wife, architect Jonathan Wilson crafted a two-storey home for himself in Haringey.
A description reads: “A comprehensively rigorous approach to low-energy sustainability has guided every design move. A small oasis in this corner of the city, the house is a simple, calming environment, with a strong inside–outside connection and a piano at its heart.
“It succeeds in effortlessly and elegantly meeting the specific living needs of its owner while serving as a demonstration project for how to go about creating a fully Passivhaus-certified dwelling.”
King’s Cross Masterplan
King’s Cross has had a major redevelopment after it was first granted planning permission in 2006.
The estate includes 100 shops, bars and restaurants and 1,750 homes and 10 public spaces.
It resulted in 50 new buildings introduced to the area.
The RIBA description reads: “From the start, the project team set out their ‘principles for a human city’, based on offering character, variety, choice, and a sense of belonging which can underpin rapidly changing patterns of social and economic behaviour.
“These have been deployed not in a grandiose manner, but through careful understanding and reshaping of found geometries, stitching a previously cut-off part of the city back into the wider urban fabric.
“Excellent buildings by a range of architects characterise the campus, but all in a way that informs and substantiates the critical open spaces and routes which are the project’s true legacy.
https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/24348443.north-london-buildings-won-riba-awards/
