The Lord Mayor’s Design Awards, set up in 1994, is a celebration that grants awards in eight categories to a selection of Newcastle’s buildings every two years. The categories range from accessibility to sustainability, with a commended finalist and an award winner in every category.
This year, the Boiler House has won the conservation award, which is presented to existing buildings that feature some aspect of ‘restoration, conversion or refurbishment’, according to Newcastle City Council.
Although the original building was completed in 1923, the Boiler House has recently been developed into an events space to accommodate receptions, awards ceremonies and musical performances.
According to a press release given by Newcastle City Council, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle remarks that the Boiler House is “an example of true conservation, where the changes have been so sensitive that they look natural and as though they have always been there.”
He notes the impressive addition of modern features, such as the “timber screening” and “large glazed entrance”, whilst still “maintaining a connection to the historic industrial use of the building.”
The Boiler House isn’t the first building affiliated with Newcastle University that has achieved a winning title in these awards. The Baddiley-Clark Building and the Urban Sciences Building have both been crowned the most sustainable buildings in the city in 2011 and 2017 respectively, while the Newcastle University Business School won the design award in 2011.
About this year’s winners, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle has said “it is inspiring to see such a wide range of projects putting environmental and community considerations right at their heart.”