Castleford Bridge wins the 2009 RIBA CABE Public Space Award

Date:

17 October 2009

Press office contact:

Mina Vadon
T: +44 (0)207 307 3761
E: mina.vadon@inst.riba.org

The Castleford Bridge in Yorkshire by McDowell and Benedetti Architects has won the RIBA CABE Public Space Award.

This award is sponsored by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), the government’s advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. Presented to the architects and landscape architects of the best RIBA Award-winning public space in the United Kingdom, the award recognises the valuable contribution that a well-designed public realm makes to the quality of the built environment and to our daily lives.

The RIBA CABE Public Space Award announcement was made on Saturday 17 October at a special awards ceremony for the RIBA Stirling Prize in association with The Architects' Journal and Crystal CG. It was introduced by Tom Dyckhoff, architecture critic for The Times newspaper. The winner was announced by Sir John Sorrell, CABE Chair, who presented the winners with a cheque for £5,000. The judges were Sarah Gaventa, Director of CABE Space; Neil Porter, architect and landscape architect at Gustafson Porter; and Tony Chapman, RIBA head of awards.

The bridge spans the river with a subtle S-bend that is set lightly on three supports. The timber boardwalk has been elegantly detailed to align with the line of movement. Benches arc out of its surface giving a range of seating heights for all ages and the balustrade provides a leaning rail to view the river. The architect’s attention to the human scale makes the bridge accessible and much loved by the inhabitants of Castleford. The community’s local pride in their involvement and achievement of building the bridge should help it stand the test of time.

Speaking about the bridge, Sarah Gaventa, Director of CABE Space said:

“The Bridge over Castleford ‘Bay’ is a really engaging public space. It provides a real meeting place for local people and has helped strengthen Castleford’s relationship with its river.

It is greatly loved and enjoyed by the local community who played a big role in its design, and it has pushed the definition of public space, proving that a bridge can offer as much as a street, public square, or park. It is a true public space because it can be used and enjoyed by everyone.”

The other shortlisted buildings for the award were:

5 Aldermanbury Square, Londonby Eric Parry Architects
Liverpool One Masterplan, Liverpool by BDP with landscape architects Pelli Clark Pelli and Gross Max
New Street Square, London by Bennetts Associates

Notes to editors

1. For images and further information please contact Mina Vadon in the RIBA Press Office on 07805 173681, 020 7307 3761 or mina.vadon@inst.riba.org|

2. Full citation follows:
Castleford Bridge, Castleford,
Architect:                                   McDowell & Benedetti Architects
Client:                                       Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
Structural Engineer:                    Alan Baxter Associates
Civil Engineer:                           Arup Water (Leeds)

Timber Consultant: EWP & Eco Timber

Lighting Consultant: Sutton Vane & Associates

Quantity Surveyor: Philip Pank Partnership

Contractor: Costain

Contract Value: 3.2 million

Date of completion: July 2008

Gross internal area in: 524 (bridge surface) 2210 including Banks

As a public space the bridge over Castleford Bay is hugely impressive. It provides a leisurely meeting place for the local community but has also acted as a catalyst for optimism for the future by refocusing Castleford’s previously unexploited relationship with the River Aire as a key natural asset. It shows that a bridge, if developed as an important space for interaction and communal unity, can be as successful as a street, public square, or park in creating public space. As in so many of our towns and cities, Castleford during its industrial past turned its back on its river, seeing it simply as a source of power and a medium for movement. A heavily trafficked road bridge was the only connection between the towns fractured northern and southern communities. By removing derelict buildings and placing the bridge alongside the weir the architects have enabled one to experience the rush and thunder of water as it approaches and passes under the bridge. Locals meet and sit on the pedestrian bridge as part of their daily routine; chatting and observing surrounding activity. The movement of water and newly found riverside vista momentarily removes them from the ordinary and provides a unique spectacle. The bridge spans the river with a subtle S-bend set lightly on three V-shaped supports. The timber boardwalk has been elegantly detailed to align with the line of movement, benches arc out of its surface giving a range of seating height options and the balustrade provides a leaning rail to ease observation and conversation. The architect’s attention to the human scale makes the bridge accessible and much loved by the community. There are no signs of vandalism or aging, and local pride in their communal involvement and achievement in getting the bridge built, should prove that it will stand the test of time. Channel 4 and Kevin McCloud devoted an hour of television to this, the biggest undertaking in the Castleford Project which aimed to regenerate the whole town. It is a project devised and led by the community and an inspiring example of a successful dialogue between local people and the architect based on mutual understanding, respect and support.

The RIBA Stirling Prize is a ‘built or designed in Britain’ prize, for which only buildings in the UK by RIBA chartered members and International Fellows, or buildings in the rest of the EU by practices whose principal office is in the UK, are eligible. The £20,000 RIBA Stirling Prize is fully funded by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation.

The RIBA Trust manages the cultural assets of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), including the internationally recognised collections of the British Architectural Library. It is the UK’s national architecture centre, delivering the RIBA Awards and RIBA Stirling Prize (broadcast on Channel 4); the Royal Gold Medal; International and Honorary Fellowships; RIBA partnership in architecture festivals; a full programme of lectures, exhibitions, tours and other events; and an education programme.

2009 marks the 175th anniversary of the founding of the RIBA. To celebrate this milestone the Institute is holding a programme of special events throughout the year that aim to show the breadth of our activities throughout the world of architecture, and engage an even wider public and celebrate the benefits to society of good design. For further information visit www.architecture.com