Roundhouse named RICS Project of the Year
Derby College’s Roundhouse development has been named as the Project of the Year at the RICS 2010 National Awards.
The Grade II listed buildings had been “returned to its rightful place as a key landmark at Derby”, said the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
The Roundhouse campus is a new vocational skills college for 2,500 students.
The team behind the £48m project won the regional East Midlands title of Project of the Year, and went on to compete for the national title against the winning projects from across the UK.
More than 450 building projects entered the RICS Awards, which is regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the built and natural environment.
Simon Pott, the chairman of the judging panel, said: “The new Roundhouse Campus is an outstanding asset for the city of Derby, and is having a considerable impact on both students and members of the public. Developing a derelict building presents obvious challenges, and the facilities available now provide an excellent resource for the city.
The Roundhouse not only cherishes the historical significance of the buildings, but will also help secure the city’s future through the many generations who will be able to study there.”
The architect behind the project was Nottingham-based Maber.
Ian Harris, project director at Maber Architects, said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award. A lot of very good buildings were shortlisted, so to be judged by fellow construction professionals to be a cut above the rest really means something. This is easily the best preserved early purpose-built railway works in the world.
"The buildings had been abandoned and falling down for 20 years. There were all sorts of problems due to rainwater pouring in and some significant areas of floors and roofs had collapsed. I think the most interesting bit of engineering was the roof to the roundhouse which had been designed in 1839 by Robert Stephenson."
Previous winners of the award include London's St Pancras Station, Olympic Stadium in Sydney, The Eden Project and St Pauls Cathedral
