About the Hadrian Awards
The principal awards scheme for architecture and design for the North east and cumbria
The Hadrian Awards celebrates the best in architecture and the design of the built environment in the North East and Cumbria. High quality design is essential to creating a high quality of life for people in the region, giving a return on investment for everyone, whether for the public, clients and funders, for communities, or for professionals.
The Hadrian Awards is a biennial scheme that has been running since 1989. The only professionally assessed awards scheme in these regions, it focuses on good practice across the whole of the built environment, including architecture, urban design and landscape design. The last Hadrian Awards ended in September 2007 (to see the winners visit the Directory), the next will be in 2009 with entry beginning in the April.
The partners that run the awards, Northern Architecture, RIBA, North of England Civic Trust and the Landscape Institute, are all organisations involved in championing, supporting and promoting good design. The winning and commended schemes become flagship examples of good design that are promoted, both nationally and regionally, over the two years following the awards.
What does the hadrian awards commend in a scheme (Aspirations)
The Hadrian Awards commends examples of excellence in the design of the built environment. There are no entry categories – the organisers are looking for schemes of all sizes, including the design of new buildings, conversions, re-modelling or extensions, building conservation, place-making and urban design. Schemes are assessed on their success in contributing to their environment, fulfilling their brief, pleasing their users, on value for money and their approach to sustainability. The organisers are always keen to see a variety of schemes entered and encourage schemes that have been designed by small-scale practices, and schemes in areas where the region needs to demonstrate more good practice – public and private housing, public space, and urban design.
Entering the Hadrian awards
Entries can be done either online on this site or using the downloadable form provided, both available during the six month entry period before the awards are announced.
Who can enter
Entries can be submitted by the client, the design professional, a planning officer in a local authority, a voluntary body (such as a Civic Society), a community group or a private individual. The owner and design professional must consent to the application. People interested in submitting a scheme should check with others to avoid duplication.
What can be entered?
Schemes can be entered provided work on the scheme was completed at least 12 months before the closing date of the awards, but not more than 3 years before the closing date. Eligible schemes can have been entered once before, but schemes cannot be entered more than twice. A phase or part of works that have been entered twice may not be entered again as part of a larger scheme. A scheme that has received a commendation in previous years may not be re-entered for an award.
Schemes must have involved the input of a recognised built environment design professional. This is defined as someone who is a registered architect or a professional member of RIBA, RIAS, RSUA or the Landscape Institute, or by a practice or firm with at least one partner/director who is a member of the above.
Only schemes located in the following area can be submitted – the North East of England (the counties of Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham and the five unitary authorities of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton on Tees) and the county of Cumbria.
How are schemes assessed?
In 2007 all entries were viewed by a panel consisting of :
The Director of the North of England Civic Trust (Chairman of the Hadrian Awards)
The Director of Northern Architecture
The Chair of RIBA North East
The Chair of the Landscape Institute, Northern Branch
The Sustainable Regeneration Manager, One NorthEast
One of the North East’s Local Authority Design and/or Historic Environment Champions
A client and/or architect of a previous winning scheme
A representative of sponsors of the Awards scheme
The panel draws up a short list of schemes, which are visited by the Awards Jury, which consists of:
The Director of the North of England Civic Trust (Chairman of the Hadrian Awards)
The President of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
A Lay Assessor from within the Awards region
The Awards Jury make awards and commendations on the basis of the visits, taking into account the comments of the short listing panel, clients, building owners and users, how well the schemes relate to their circumstances, and how the schemes have fared since completion. The number of awards and commendations is entirely at the discretion of the Awards Jury.
Awards Ceremony
Awards and commendations are presented at an event to celebrate the successful entries. Awards comprise inscribed certificates for the architect, building owner and client (if different), together with specially commissioned plaques. The architects and clients of commended schemes receive certificates.
