Awards
The Society has decided to move the closing date for entries to the end of the calendar year. We hope that avoiding the rush to complete entries over the summer holiday period will help entrants and encourage more entries. The Awards Ceremony and Lunch will accordingly be in the Spring of 2007.
The Manchester Civic Society Annual Awards are all about good design – a concept that, just like an elephant, is easier to recognise than define. The Society, however, needs to define it both in regard to the description of the Awards categories themselves and in regard to the evaluation by the judges of the quality of the short-listed projects.
The awards categories are
* Manchester Renaissance Award
* Phoenix Award
* Shop Window Award
* Small Projects Award
* City Space Award
* Sustainability Award
* Spirit of Manchester Award
The Spirit of Manchester Award is the only one that can go to an individual or an organisation.
The judges need no advice from the Society in how to go about their work but in order to appreciate how people of their professional background and experience approach the evaluation of design quality, we should perhaps bear in mind CABE’s recent advice to clients commissioning buildings. That advice is to assess and score the following three aspects of a project:
1) Impact – the character of the project and its integration into the existing urban and social fabric.
2) Build Quality – the engineering performance, safety and durability of the project.
3) Functionality – the project’s legibility, access and the interrelationship of spaces.
The Annual Awards of Manchester Civic Society encompass and give a public platform to one of our most fundamental aims and purposes:
To keep watch over our city as it changes, identifying and praising what is good, and challenging and seeking to improve what is not good enough. Always, always the question – is it good enough for Manchester.
CIVIC SOCIETY AWARDS CEREMONY SHOWCASES 2004
~ THE PRIDE OF MANCHESTER ~
Manchester Civic Society’s prestigious annual awards 2004 highlighted the cream of the North West’s building and design at a plush, lunch ceremony at The Lowry Hotel on 21 October 2004 to nearly 200 members, guests and VIPs.
Introduced by Alistair Macdonald and presented by Tom Bloxham MBE, Chairman of Urban Splash, the awards honoured architects, shops, urban projects and regeneration projects and this year held a few surprises.
Tom Bloxham had kindly agreed to give out the awards for the winners, and say a few words beforehand. He praised the role of the Civic Society in encouraging innovation in architecture, although recognising that it was not always possible to agree on what was good quality and what was not.
He reminded the audience that although he had crossed swords with the Society in the past he was happy to be there, and to be part of moving Manchester forward into the new millennium.
The presentations started with the Shop Window Award, which was awarded to the window in Bank Chambers on Portland Street, owned by Bruntwood and shared between Space Estate Agents and Dawson’s Music Shop for being ‘the only scheme submitted to be a real shop front rather than the filling of an existing space’. The architect was Downes and Variava.
Mancunian Renaissance Award, which celebrates an achievement that has contributed to Manchester’s leading edge image, was next up. The Winner, Albert’s Shed in Castlefield, was designed by architect Stephenson Bell and chosen as it is ‘a thoughtful contribution . . . and fits in well with the regeneration of the Castlefield area’.
The Phoenix Award, which recognises achievement in the refurbishment of historic buildings or the creation of new buildings on vacant sites was third to be presented and like last year, this category gave the judges the hardest time of all. Taking the title for 2004 was The Aeroworks on Adair Street by Stephenson Bell but the standard of entry was so high that the judges also gave commendations to the Derros and Hudson Building by Ian Finlay Architects on Great Ancoats Street, Jackson’s Warehouse by Michael Hyde Associates on Piccadilly Basin and the Radisson Edwardian Hotel by Stephenson Bell on Peter Street .
Next saw the presentation of the all-new Small Project Award, which was showcased this year and opened up the ceremony for a number of initiatives which although excellent would have been overlooked in the past due to their size. The winner for 2004 the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin (the Pokrov) and all Russian Martyrs on Clarence Road in Longsight. Judges chose this Archimax project as it ‘achieves so much for a small ‘ and ‘wonderfully recognises the diversity of the City’s community’.
The City Space Award was this year given to the Redhill Street Space, part of the Ancoats Urban Village designed by Camlin Lonsdale for being ‘a strong and vigorous space’.
Finally, the Spirit of Manchester Award was the one everyone had been waiting for.
This award is different to all the others in that it is voted for by the individual membership of the Manchester Civic Society and goes to the individual or organisation that is considered by the membership of the society to have made the most significant contribution to Civic Values and to realising the aims and aspirations of the Manchester Civic Society over the last twelve months. The three entries in the running were the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Society, Bruntwood Estates Ltd and Ian Simpson Architects; with Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society taking the crown. Manchester Civic Society summed it up as simply, ‘very much the Spirit of Manchester.’
The judges felt that no entry had achieved the required standard for the Sustainability Award.
Richard Harvey, Chairman of Manchester Civic Society, concluded: ‘This year’s awards really highlighted what a design-led city Manchester is. We would like to thank the sponsors Astra Group, Dandara Ltd, Kier North West, Castlefield Estates, The Midland Hotel, Clancy Consulting, and Alfred McAlpine Capital Projects. We look forward to continuing to support the developing success which is Manchester today.’
Judges
Belinda Irlam-Mowbray, Regional Director of RIBA NW RegionWarren Marshall, architect and planner, Manchester City Planning Departments Urban Design and Conservation Officer.
Simone Ridyard, architect and President of the Manchester Society of Architects.
Phil Griffin, freelance journalist and a regular contributor to City Life and other magazines writing about architecture and environmental matters.
Kate Dixon architect and Director of Ancoats Building Preservation Trust
Prizewinners and sponsors:
Manchester Shop Window Award – Bank Chambers, Portland Street shared between Space Estate Agents and Dawson’s Music Shop. Bruntwood owns the property and the architect was Downes and Variava. Sponsors - Astra Group and The Midland Hotel
Mancunian Renaissance Award - Albert’s Shed, Castlefield by Stephenson Bell. Sponsor - Dandara Ltd
Phoenix Award – The Aeroworks on Adair Street by Stephenson Bell. Sponsor - Kier North West
Commendations: Derros and Hudson Building by Ian Finlay Architects; Jackson’s Warehouse by Michael Hyde Associates; Radisson Edwardian Hotel by Stephenson Bell.
Small Projects Award - Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin (the Pokrov) and all Russian Martyrs. Sponsor - Alfred McAlpine Capital Projects
City Space Award – Redhill Street Space, Ancoats. Sponsor - Castlefield Estates
Spirit of Manchester Award – Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society.
Sustainability Award – no winner. Sponsor - Clancy Consulting