Royal Borough honours best in building design

The best of building design was celebrated yesterday (Thursday 20 January) in the Royal Borough's 2010 Design Awards, held in Maidenhead Town Hall's Desborough Suite.

Winners in five categories - new build, renovations or extensions, sustainable design, historic environment/conservation and designed open space and the public realm - received plaques from Cllr Alison Knight, Cabinet Member for Planning and Development. A new award went to the People's Choice winner, which was selected through public votes.

Cllr Knight said: "We had a great response from the public, local societies, councillors and architects submitting their suggestions and there were many excellent entries.

"The Design Awards Scheme is intended to identify and celebrate the best of recent development throughout the borough. It is particularly important that the Council recognises and promotes good design as this will help raise the standard for future development."

The winners in each category are:

NEW BUILD

The Odney Club, Cookham - redevelopment of a former training centre within the grounds of a Grade ll listed building, providing a new conference centre linked to converted outbuildings. Photo shows Cllr Alison Knight with architect Crispin Wride, left, and Jeremy Thornton from owner John Lewis.

RENOVATIONS OR EXTENSIONS

The Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham - re-planning of the interior to provide new gallery space, with external alterations to relocate a listed telephone kiosk and create an accessible new glazed entrance and external surfacing.

A commendation went to Silwood Park Farmhouse, Ascot, for its replacement of a 20th century extension with a new wing and the conversion of a listed barn and outbuildings. Our photo shows Cllr Alison Knight with Stuart Conlin from the Stanly Spencer Memorial Trust.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

The Science Building, Berkshire College of Agriculture, Burchetts Green - teaching facility within the grounds of a Grade I listed manor set in the Green Belt. Sustainable features include a wood chip boiler, sedum roof, rainwater harvesting and recycling, and sun tubes.

A commendation went to St Edmund Campion RC Primary School, Maidenhead, for its purpose-built early years unit. Our photo shows Cllr Alison Knight with Ross Bridgeman of Archial Architects and Peter Thorn of BCA.

HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT/CONSERVATION

Lewandowski Willcox Ltd - internal alterations and replacement rear extension to a Grade ll listed building, providing an architects' office with residential accommodation on the upper floors. Our photo shows Cllr Alison Knight with Ron and Dan Lewandowski and Ben Willcox.
The Stanley Spencer Gallery received a commendation (details above).

DESIGNED OPEN SPACE AND THE PUBLIC REALM

Grenfell Park, Maidenhead - following public consultation the park has undergone a real transformation over the last two years while retaining the character of Maidenhead's oldest park. Our photo shows Cllr Alison Knight with Royal Borough Landscape Officer Jonathan Howe.
Commendations went to Berkyn Manor Farm, Horton, for its considerable tree planting and the insertion of two lakes on a former gravel extraction site, and the Stubbings sponsored roundabout in Maidenhead which acts as a key entrance point to the town.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

Upton House School, Windsor - this new category attracted more than 300 votes with Upton House's new purpose-designed nursery school building receiving the most.

Ascot Business Park, which has transformed the area to the south of Ascot Railway Station, received a commendation for coming a close second.

Yesterday's event was attended by ward councillors, the design teams, nominators, and voters in the People's Choice whose names were drawn to receive tickets to the ceremony. One voter also won a year's National Trust membership.

The judges, who visited the short-listed schemes before deciding on the winners, were Bob Dulson of Maidenhead Civic Society, Gary Marshall of the Windsor and Eton Society, Philip Tilbury, Chair of the Royal Borough's Design Review Panel, and Philip Turner of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

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