The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that City of Westminster College’s new Paddington Green Campus is on the shortlist for the RIBA Awards for London 2011. One of the most prestigious architectural awards programmes in the world, the RIBA Awards are also rigorously judged, with every one of the shortlisted entries having been visited by a panel of judges.
Designed by award-winning architects schmidt hammer lassen (SHL), the £102m Paddington Green Campus opened in January 2011 following a three-year build programme and eight years of planning by the College team. This involved the demolition of a Sixties building on the same site and relocation of students to temporary College quarters in Paddington Basin.
This ambitious seven-storey Paddington Green Campus has been described as a flagship for Further Education. The building features a light-filled central atrium and a range of superb facilities, including a Sport England-specification Sports Hall, a professional-quality 250-seat theatre and a range of specialist workshops and laboratories.
The College’s brief to SHL was to create a Campus that offered ‘learning anytime and anywhere’, and the Campus features a mix of open plan meeting and study spaces alongside traditional classrooms and computer pods. Its distinctive stepped design - ensuring best use of space and minimising the building’s impact in a sensitive residential and conservation area - incorporates green roofs and accessible outdoor terraces.
Chair of Governors Jude Boardman MBE, who steered the Paddington Green Campus project, says: “This is thrilling news for all the team involved in the project over so many years. We aimed high with this building and its exemplary architecture will be a real source of inspiration for our students, our staff and our community.”
The RIBA Awards for London 2011 is supported by English Heritage, Design for London and Ordnance Survey. Awards will be given across four sectors: Arts & Leisure, Education & Community, Commercial & Industrial and Housing. In addition, special awards will be: RIBA London Building of the Year, The English Heritage Award for Sustaining the Historic Environment and the Design for London Client of the Year Award. The Awards will be presented in a ceremony at the V&A on 19 May 2011.
Photo: Paddington Green Campus - shortlisted for the RIBA Awards for London 2011.
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