Best buildings announced in Civic Society design awards

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A new landmark building which gives the town a ‘wow factor’ was among the best new buildings constructed in the town last year, according to readers of the Huddersfield Examiner.

They voted the AHR-designed Oastler Building at Shorehead their favourite in the Huddersfield Civic Society Design Awards, but it wasn’t the overall winner. That honour went to the The Graham Cooksey Building at Greenhead College, designed by Fuse of Leeds.

The winners in several categories were revealed at the awards ceremony at Huddersfield Town Hall.

​The judges said of the Oastler Building, part of the University of Huddersfield campus: “What could be more appropriate for the Examiner Readers’ Award than, perhaps, the most distinctive building to have been erected in the town since the John Smith’s Stadium was constructed in the mid 1990s?
 
“The eye-catching Oastler Building complements a number of new buildings, all of considerable quality, to create a hub of activity and diversity creating a ‘wow’ factor for those coming to the university and town.

The building, home of music, humanities and media, makes effective use of ashlar stonework on its Queensgate façade while the striking jettied glass and steel frontage to Shorehead is sub-divided by distinctive vertical fins. Within this frame are teaching facilities, research space, lecture theatres and offices.

Of particular importance is the high level of environmental sustainability, the building achieving an ‘excellent’ rating from BREEAM, the world’s leading sustainability rating scheme.”

Two awards went to the Graham Cooksey Building at Greenhead College: Best New Development and Overall Winner.

Which buildings do you think have contributed to Huddersfield’s built environment and deserve to be celebrated? Please go to our Design Awards page to complete the nomination form.

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