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Alumni designs shortlisted for new Leeds Beckett research and landscape centre
The competition, which received 13 entries, was open to all Leeds Beckett Architecture and Landscape graduates, and will see the winning design taken forward by the Project Office (PO) to create a new Sustainable Technology and Landscape Resource Centre (LRC). The Centre will encompass both research and teaching spaces.
On Monday 25 April the PO held an exhibition and presentation event where the shortlisted candidates and their proposals were announced. They are: Joe Morizzo, Antonia Frondella, and Rachael Branton whose design is entitled ‘The Root’; Gareth Roberts, Nick Wright, and Danny Wallace for ‘The Potting Sheds’; Steve McCloy and Bo Muchemwa for ‘The Greenhouse Labs’; Genenan Antoine and Andrea Ghirawoo for ‘Landscape and Sustainability Research Pavilion’ and Matthew Shepherd and Andrew Lewthwaite for ‘Headingley Pavilion for Landscape & Sustainability’.
Founded and managed by architecture lecturers, Simon Warren and Craig Stott, the PO is an architectural consultancy which sits under the umbrella of the School of Art, Architecture and Design. It gives Architecture students at the University a chance to work with real clients, producing built and strategic design solutions with a particular emphasis on ethical, social and resilient architecture.
Alongside Simon and Craig, the judging panel included Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Smith; Dean and Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Mohammad Dastbaz; Head of Estates, David Hemming; Head of Leeds Sustainability Institute, Chris Gorse; Chief Operating Officer, Suzanne Richardson and Business Development Manager, Janet Mulcrone.
“Thirteen entries were received, of which five were shortlisted,” said Simon. “All of these schemes were presented including one via Skype from St Lucia! Congratulations to everyone who submitted designs – the standard of work was extremely high.”
Craig added: “This project is an exciting collaboration and a real opportunity for the winning team to put their stamp on not just their former University but what will be a place of important research and work for many years to come.
“The existing LRC classroom is to be demolished and replaced with the new building, which will accommodate researchers from the Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) as well as provide improved teaching space for the Landscape Architecture course.”
The winning team will be announced on Tuesday 3 May. There is a prize fund of £500 to be distributed by the judges and the services of the winning team will be retained as consultants to help deliver the project with PO.
It is expected that the building will be completed for the start of teaching in the 2017/18 academic year.
The competition follows the success of another held by the PO back in 2009 which invited students on the architecture courses to come up with a design concept for a new multi-purpose community building in New Wortley, which is set to open its doors in June and will celebrate with an official opening in September. The project received a grant of £686,674 from the Big Lottery Fund, with the new building being based on designs by Leeds Beckett Architecture graduate Vahagn Mkrtchyan.