The Old Coach House, located in East Rounton, near Northallerton, was awarded the title of Best Change of Use of an Existing Building or Conversion at the Grand Final of the LABC Building Excellence Awards – one of the most recognised events on the building industry’s calendar.
A panel of industry experts judged a list of the highest quality projects from around England and Wales to reward the best in technical innovation, sustainability and design. This project saw a conversion from a derelict 19th century former coach house to four contemporary self-contained dwellings. The judges saw the high quality in the build, due to sympathetic materials and detailing in keeping with its original arts and crafts style. The judges were also impressed by the involvement of LABC at the outset and the excellent working relationship established throughout.
LABC Chief Executive Paul Everall said: “This was a massive project that was in dire need of attention. The teams had to be careful to retain the historic feel of the structure, whilst breathing new life into the build. Everyone worked closely together to ensure the works were completed within costings and timescale, and consultations with the local community made sure that there was overwhelming support throughout”.
“Our building excellence awards are an opportunity for the trade to celebrate good practice. Our winners demonstrate how positive working relationships with local council building control teams achieve high quality, sustainable buildings. Our awards are unique because they recognise how this cooperation improves building standards and professionalism across the industry.”
The project designer, Malcolm Tempest said: “These historic buildings were ‘at risk’ due to roofing failures meaning further repairs were impracticable, resulting in the deterioration of the fabric.”
“The buildings, originally designed by Philip Webb – renowned for his Arts and Crafts style, required careful detailing and sympathetic handling in order to preserve and restore them to their former glory. From outward appearances, the complex has been returned to a building which hopefully Philip Webb would recognise.”
Jack Bell of Arncliffe Estate commented: “The renovation project has saved the building and receives great reviews from everyone who sees it. The team put in a lot of extra effort to ensure that this building kept its integrity and managed to complete on time and in budget.”
As the contractor for this scheme, Arthur Woodhouse of Woodhouse-Barry (Construction) said: “We were pleased to receive the Supreme Award at the LABC 2015 Regional Excellence awards earlier in the year and delighted when the project also won in its category at National Level. This reflects the team’s hard work and commitment to produce a high quality build whilst maintaining its original fabric and features.”
The Grand Final of the LABC Building Excellence Awards took place on Tuesday 10 November 2015 at the Lancaster in London and was hosted by comedian and impressionist, Jon Culshaw, best known for his work on Dead Ringers. Over 650 building industry professionals including contractors, architects and engineers attended the celebration to find out which projects won across the 14 hotly contested categories.
Other finalists from the North Yorkshire Area included The Sidings, Nawton (housing), Selby Leisure Centre (public building), Judges Lodgings, York (commercial) and Keepmoat, Thirsk (site supervisor).
