Schüco announces award winners

Schüco has announced the winners of its prestigious Excellence Awards for Design and Innovation, following a virtual event hosted by architectural designer and television presenter, Charlie Luxton.

Now in its seventh year, the awards, run in association with Architecture Today, celebrate the collaboration between architects and specialist contractors, bringing clients’ visions to life.

Awards were presented in ten categories, including residential, commercial, cultural and educational projects and considering both new build and refurbishment.

The judges were looking for outstanding design and the flawless technical translation of the architect’s vision into high-performing reality.

One Overall Winner is acknowledged each year and this year the accolade went to the English National Ballet building. Glenn Howells Architects’ striking design is defined by a celebration of exposed raw materials such as concrete ceilings and translucent glass walls.

The building’s façade was supplied and installed by NA Curtain Walling Limited.

The ground floor is wrapped in clear glazing. The translucent white cladding on the upper levels alternates with clear glass allowing passers-by to catch a glimpse of the dancers practicing inside. The project also won in the Steel Project category.

Holding the awards ceremony online for the first time allowed Schüco to introduce a Viewers’ Choice category – the project that won the hearts of the viewers was The Fratry of Carlisle Cathedral.

Tasked with breathing new life into the Grade I listed medieval Fratry, architect Feilden Fowles has created a new single-storey entrance pavilion that harmonises with the existing historic building and yet is still distinctly of its time.