New Wortley Community Centre architects up for top award

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The designers of an extension to New Wortley Community Centre have been shortlisted for a prestigious architecture award.

Project Office, which is a design and research collaboration within Leeds Beckett’s School of Art, Architecture and Design, was shortlisted for the RIBAJ MacEwan Award 2018 for their work to revamp the centre.

With no funds for architectural consultancy, New Wortley Community Association approached Leeds Beckett for help to create a new building at the side of the existing centre.

Local residents and workers at New Wortley Community Association. Photo: Cherry Bee Associates

The university’s Project Office coordinated the design team and helped to produce the construction drawings with graduate employees. Landscape architecture students designed the external realm, graphics students designed signage and product design students produced built-in furniture as part of their degree coursework.

Senior lecturer Simon Warren said:

“This is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved; students, the community, professionals and academics have collaborated over a long period, working in a unique way to produce this building.”

Eighty students have been involved in the project from inception to completion, including second year architecture student Vahagn Mkrtchyan.

The RIBAJ MacEwan Award recognises work and projects that go the ‘extra mile’ to provide a wider benefit to society and the communities in which they are based.

The transformation of New Wortley Community Centre has attracted a host of fresh users, volunteers and opportunities and it now provides a pivotal role in one of the city’s most disadvantaged communities.



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