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Nine Elms wins Wandsworth Design Awards

Happy Street bridge with BPS_1200px

Published on
October 21, 2020

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Nine Elms has won two of the prestigious 2019 Wandsworth Design Awards. The awards, held every other year since 1999, reward high-quality design and give public recognition for building projects in Wandsworth that make a positive contribution to the borough.

They also aim to raise the profile of design in Wandsworth and set a positive example to architects to improve the quality of buildings in the area.

Nominations came from the local community, businesses, and architects, highlighting high-quality designs and projects that improved accessibility over the past two years.

Bringing movie star magic to Nine Elms, Archlight Cinema snapped up the Restoration/Conversion award for imaginative and well-executed design, converting disused railway arches to provide a cinema that animates and enhances the public space.

Arches Lane in Circus West Village

If you’ve not had a chance, check out the Archlight website to find out your latest film offerings.

The second category awarded to the Nine Elms area was the Public Spaces award for the bright, ‘Happy Street’ Thessaly Road Bridge. The design was a clear winner by transforming a dark uninviting bridge into a welcoming space enlivened with patterned panels in assorted colours to enhance the street scene.

Artist Yinka Ilori worked in collaboration with local people and nearby St George’s primary school to create a standout piece of art for everyone to enjoy.

A panel of judges made up of councillors, including the council’s Heritage and Design Champions, local architects, representatives of the Wandsworth Design Review Panel, local societies, the Wandsworth Access Association, the Royal British Institute of Architects (RIBA) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) all considered the designs and projects for awards and commendations.

Cllr Guy Humphries, chairman of the planning applications committee, said: “The announcement of the winners was delayed this year and we will not be able to have our usual award ceremony due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but I would like to assure all our winners that they are all excellent examples of some of the most innovative, high-quality examples of design in the borough that greatly enhance their communities.

“We are also pleased that architects are putting sustainability at the heart of their designs, helping the council to meet its climate change targets.”

Why not explore other award-winning designs in the borough? A full list can be found on the Wandsworth Council website.


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