Sponsor: RIBA

Type: open, two-stage, international

 

Location: Whitehaven, UK

 

Language: English

 

Eligibility:

The Competition is open to architect-led design teams which (at Stage 2) will also need to include the services of a structural engineer and M&E consultant, as a minimum.  Practising architects should be registered with the Architects Registration Board in the UK (or equivalent regulatory authority for overseas based competitors).  Architectural students who have successfully completed their RIBA Part 2 studies and are working towards their Part 3 qualification are also welcome to enter the competition.

 

Timetable:

13 July 2010 – Official competition launch

14 July 2010 – Competition brief available

13 September 2010 – Registration deadline

17 September 2010 – Submission deadline for Stage 1

29 September 2010 – Stage 1 shortlist selection

4 October 2010 – Stage 2 begins

4 November 2010 – Submission deadline for Stage 2

15-18 November 2010 – Judging panel

22 November 2010 – Results announced

 

Awards:

Shortlisted projects (up to five) - £4,440 each

Winning entry – advance on professional fee for subsequent commission

 

Jury:

Stephen Hodder (Chair of Judging Panel) - Hodder + Partners (acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser)

Stuart Cowperthwaite - Britain's Energy Coast West Cumbria (Director)

Frank Lowe - Magnus Homes Ltd. (Programme Director)

Celia MacKenzie - Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners (Chief Executive)

Charlotte Myhrum - Places Matter! (Design Review Manager)

Cllr. Bill Southward - Copeland Borough Council (Chair of Planning Panel)

James Porter - RIBA Competitions Office (Competitions Consultant)

 

Design Challenge:

RIBA Competitions is pleased to announce the launch of a two-stage, International Open Design Competition on behalf of Britain's Energy Coast West Cumbria and Magnus Homes.  The competition, to select an architect-led team to design a circa GBP £10m mixed-use development on a prominent site adjacent to Whitehaven Harbor, is being organized with the support of Places Matter!, the architecture centre for the Northwest.   

Whitehaven, situated on the Cumbrian Coast approximately 10 miles west of the Lake District National Park, is one of the most complete surviving examples of a Georgian planned town in Europe.  Its character stems from the hillsides that flank the harbor, and the colorfully painted attractive buildings arranged in a grid-iron street pattern. 

Over the past decade, Whitehaven's former working port has been transformed by the installation of a new sea lock into a thriving marina for leisure craft, with significant investment in associated public realm improvements.  The redevelopment of the site presents an opportunity to continue this regeneration via the contribution of an active harbor frontage, with improved visual and pedestrian links to the town centre.  The winning scheme for luxury residential apartments and office accommodation will need to set a benchmark for creative, contextual design and achieve a sustainable development of long-lasting architectural quality.

 

Submission Requirements:

The total construction cost envisaged for the mixed use development is GBP £10 million.  This figure includes all design fees (architect, structural engineer, M&E consultant), statutory fees (planning or commuted sums), QS fees, plus non-recoverable VAT.

Proposals should achieve the full potential of the site.  As a minimum, the scheme should accommodate approximately 4,000m2 of office accommodation (for sale and let) and 40 No. luxury residential apartments (predominantly two-bed, with some three-bed, together with 3 No. penthouses).  The office accommodation should be designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent.  The apartments should be designed to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 as a minimum, and to exceed typical space standards - with minimum GIFA of 80m2 (two-bed), 90m2 (three-bed) and 150m2 (luxury penthouse) respectively.  All the apartments should have coastal views and useable balconies with enough space to sit on - the balconies to the larger flats should be able to accommodate a small table and a couple of chairs as a minimum.  Competitors may propose higher densities, but not if it jeopardises the quality of the design or the potential ability of the scheme obtaining planning consent.

For more information, go to: www.riba-whitehavencentralsite.org.uk

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