Design Awards Scheme
The aims of a Design Awards Scheme
In the autumn of 2006, Bracknell Forest Borough Council launched a Design Awards Scheme. The aim of the scheme was to highlight good practice when planning, designing and building new homes, office accommodation and public facilities within the borough. Design issues are key in creating sustainable, attractive environments; highlighting good practice and schemes which make a positive contribution to the quality of the borough raises the awareness of design issues and places importance on creating attractive and stimulating environments for our local community.
Design Categories
The Borough Council had not run any design awards for over 10 years. It was decided to open up nominations to any completed developments since 1996. The categories were kept broad, again to ensure that any buildings or developments of quality could be entered. Nominations were split into two categories:-
- Housing
- Commercial and Community
Judging Panel and Process
A small judging panel was invited to participate in assessing all the schemes nominated. Gerardine Hemingway of Hemingway Designs, Steve Newman, Head of Architecture at HTA Architects Limited in London and Clare Wright, Planning and Programme Manager at the Kent Architecture Centre assisted Cllr Mrs Mary Ballin, Cllr David Worrall and Ann Groves, Urban Design Officer from the Borough Council. Having external input into the assessment process ensured that the standard of design expected for an award to be given was considered within a wider context than simply development within the borough.
Schemes were assessed and scored against following criteria:-
- Design;
- Relationship to context;
- Contribution to streetscene,
- Hard and soft landscaping incorporated into the layout; and
- Overall quality of the building or development.
Nominated Schemes
The response to the Design Awards Scheme 2007 was excellent with 22 buildings and developments being nominated by architects, house builders and developers in the area.
Entries in the Housing category were as follows:-
- Wyatt Court, Yorktown Road
- Belfry Mews, Sandhurst
- The Braeside development, Binfield
- 1–13 Tilehurst Lane, Binfield
- Newell Green Farm, Warfield
- Oxfordshire Place, Warfield
- Bardeen Place, Bracknell
- Bakehouse Mews, Church Road, North Ascot
- Bevan Gate, Binfield Road, Bracknell
- Freeborn Way, Bullbrook, Bracknell
- Sycamore Rise, Bracknell
Entries in the Commercial and Community categories were as follows:-
- The Lily Hill House refurbishment and extension, Bullbrook
- Octagon House, Binfield
- The Courtyard, Eastern Industrial Estate, Bracknell
- Talbot and Beresford House, Wellington College, Crowthorne
- Binfield Library, Binfield
- The refurbishment of the Health Suite at Bracknell Sports and Leisure Centre
- Improvement works to Elms Park, Park Road, Bracknell
- Improvement works to Mill Park, Mill Lane, Bracknell
- Seventh Day Adventist Church, Newbold College, Binfield
- Sandhurst Surgery, Yorktown Road, Sandhurst
- Thames Valley One, Bracknell
Judging Panel assessed all schemes nominated and all short listed schemes were visited on site.
Design Award Winners
Two schemes were considered by the Judging Panel to be worthy of a Design Award, having scored well against the assessment criteria. Design Awards were presented to The Seventh Day Adventist Church at Newbold College in Binfield and the Courtyard office development in Eastern Road, Bracknell.
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Seventh Day Adventist Church, Newbold College, Binfield
The Seventh Day Adventist Church at Newbold College was considered to be a particularly sensitive design bearing in mind its location within the grounds of an existing listed building. The church had been set at a lower level to the streetscene to maintain views through to the listed building beyond. The design also incorporated a green roof again to minimalised the visual impact of the new building within the grounds of Newbold College. The layout and use of soft landscaping was also considered to be of a high quality.
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The Courtyard, Eastern Road, Bracknell
The Courtyard office development was considered by the Judging Panel to be a simple design creating a sense of place and character within an existing Industrial estate in Bracknell. The layout of the scheme was easy to navigate and the small business units had been designed to high energy efficiency levels, incorporating natural ventilation.
A further two schemes, One Thames Valley, Wokingham Road, Bracknell and Crowthorne Village Square were also highly commended by the panel of judges.
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| One Thames Valley, Wokingham Road | Crowthorne Village Square |
One Thames Valley was thought to be distinct, with a cleverly-designed open space and use of hard landscaping at the front of the building. The materials used in the design also contributed to creating interest within the streetscene. Parking was placed to the rear of the development allowing the building to relate well to its context.
Crowthorne Village Square was commended as being a good piece of urban design. The space had a sense of identity and civic pride which had been created by hard landscaping, public art and the joined up thinking in the design of the surrounding buildings. The square incorporated the village library, retail units, and social and private flats.
Although a number of housing schemes were nominated and visited on site, it was disappointing to note that none of the housing schemes were considered to be of a standard high enough to receive an award this year. Many of the housing developments did little to create a real sense of place and identity; much of what was seen was felt to be similar to housing developments being delivered throughout the country and therefore were not considered to respond well to their location.
However, overall the nominated schemes submitted were considered to be generally of a good standard, with the variety and breadth of the nominations contributing to creating healthy competition within each of the categories.
Presentation of Awards
The awards were presented at an informal ceremony in the Council Chamber on 11 May 2007. Kirsten Oster Lundqvist received the award for the Seventh Day Adventist Church at Newbold College from Cllr Mrs Mary Ballin.
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Also in attendance to receive their awards were Bill and Katie Reed, architects of the Courtyard office development on Eastern Road.
Cala Homes were partners in the development of the Crowthorne Village Square. Richard Potts of Cala Homes South Limited received the award for the Crowthorne Village Square. The Borough Council would like to thank Gerardine Hemingway, Steve Newman, and Clare Wright for making an invaluable contribution to the Design Awards Scheme and for supporting Bracknell Forest Borough Council in their desire to raise awareness of design issues and design standards within Bracknell Forest.
The Borough Council would also like to thank all those who took the time to nominate buildings and developments to the Design Awards Scheme. The number and variety of schemes submitted contributed to an interesting and challenging judging session and to the success of the 2007 Design Awards Scheme.
If you would like to know more about the Design Awards Scheme 2007 or wish to know more about any of the nominated schemes or winners, please contact Ann Groves, Urban Design Officer on 01344 352000, or email ann.groves@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
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