Young Architect of the Year Awards, YAYA, BD

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BD Young Architect of the Year Award 2008

Winners : Building Design Architecture Awards, London, UK

YAYA 2008 Winner

Hackett Hall McKnight

Young Architect of the Year Award Shortlist

AOC
Feix & Merlin Architects
Hackett Hall McKnight
Kraus Schoenberg
McChesney Architects
Serie Architects

Hackett Hall McKnight Win Young Architect of the Year Award

Belfast based practice Hackett Hall McKnight has won this year's prestigious BD Young Architect of the Year Award (YAYA).

YAYA, the Young Architect of the Year Award organised by leading architectural weekly BD and sponsored by Autodesk, recognises and rewards the most promising architect aged 40 or under. The judges decision was unanimous. Glenn Howells, chairman of the jury said: "Hackett Hall McKnight has a very clear idea of what their architecture is about. The judges were impressed not only by the quality of their completed projects but the focus and rigour with which they approached design at all scales. This is a practice making work that will be listed in years to come."

Announcing the winner Amanda Baillieu, editor of BD commented: "We all take for granted that young firms can flourish and get work but in reality it doesn't happen nearly so easily. Northern Ireland is still a bit behind the rest of the UK in terms of brave commissioning and it's refreshing to see a practice outside of London that is winning great projects. The judges were really impressed with Hackett Hall McKnight. They produce work of real, enduring quality. You can see they take infinite care with materials - nothing is hurried. They are serious old fashioned architects who want to make great buildings."

Hackett Hall McKnight was established in 2003 by Mark Hackett and Alastair Hall when they were joint winners of the second stage of the international competition for the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Ian McKnight joined in early 2008. Their work reflects a considered and deliberate response to the condition of working in Northern Ireland. With an office of 12 people, their current workload includes furniture design, private houses, housing, retail and office fit out, small city hotels and a major public building.

The judges were struck by the sense that they had not only established a highly impressive portfolio of projects over the past five years but had also demonstrated a determination to foster a re-energised architectural culture in a city that has not proved the most receptive of environments to modern architecture in the past. The partners were joint authors of the first comprehensive survey of post-war Ulster architecture, published in 2006. They have also found success in steering policy-level discussion about Belfast's public space provision. Their plea to jettison planning policies that were developed in response to long-abandoned road-building proposals has proved particularly impactful.

Next March will see construction begin on the practice's first public building, the £14.2million Museum Arts Centre in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter.

The winner of YAYA 2008 was announced at the Architect of the Year Award dinner ceremony at The Hilton, Park Lane, London on Thursday 30 October. The winner will receive the YAYA trophy, £5,000 and a consultation package from PR agency Caro Communications on how to promote your practice.

16 Oct 2008

Young Architect of the Year Award Finalists

Six of the UK's most innovative and progressive architects are in the running to win this year's prestigious BD Young Architect of the Year Award (YAYA).

YAYA, the Young Architect of the Year Award organised by leading architectural weekly BD and sponsored by Autodesk, recognises and rewards the most promising architect aged 40 or under. The judges will be looking for an architect with a strong design philosophy - not necessarily with a body of built work.

Will Alsop, SMC Alsop and member of the jury commented: "All the entries were very different this year reflecting the diversity of architecture in the early 21st Century."

The winner will be announced at the Architect of the Year Award dinner ceremony at The Hilton, Park Lane, London on the 30 October.

2008 YAYA Finalists:
AOC is a practice of architects, urbanists and cultural interpreters, established in 2003 by Tom Coward, Daisy Froud, Vincent Lacovara and Geoff Shearcroft. They aim to listen to, interpret and amplify people's desires through different media. Their work includes architecture, teaching design studios, writing articles, tour guiding around Croydon, masterplanning in Southwark and Copenhagen, making installations for art galleries and games.

Feix & Merlin Architects was co-founded by Julia Feix and Tarek Merlin after being shortlisted for the RIBA competition for a new Café at Deal Pier, Kent in 2006. Having met while working for Will Alsop, the two principals have since gone on to win several awards including the Bathing Beauties International Design Competition to re-imagine the beach hut for the 21st Century.

Hackett Hall McKnight was established in 2003 by Mark Hackett and Alastair Hall when they were joint winners of the second stage of the international competition for the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Ian McKnight joined in early 2008. Their work reflects a considered and deliberate response to the condition of working in Northern Ireland. With an office of 12 people, their current workload includes furniture design, private houses, housing, retail and office fit out, small city hotels and a major public building.

Kraus Schoenberg creates buildings and spaces with the urban cultural context. Central to their designs are people and how they perceive and use their surroundings and reality. The activity amidst historic areas and the peripheries of cities, building in conservation areas and the regeneration of buildings is their current occupation as part of the European urban regeneration.

McChesney Architects was founded in 2001 by Ian McChesney, formerly an associate with John McAslan & Partners. McChesney works largely single handed without partners or permanent staff and over time, has built up a significant portfolio of work. The practice has been sustained by a body of residential projects that have provided the financial stability to be more experimental in other areas. So far the practice has won four RIBA Competitions, two of which, the pavilion and wind shelters have now been built.

Serie Architects, formerly Chris Lee Architects and Contemporary Urban, is an international practice based in London and Mumbai. The practice is fascinated by the evolution and mutation of building types in today's cities and the projection of these forms of intelligence into spatial solutions. Their work is closely linked to research conducted at the Architectural Association where practice principal, Christopher Lee holds the position of Diploma Unit Master. Kapil Gupta, principal of Serie India, is also director at the Urban Design Research Institute in Mumbai.

YAYA : 2009 Event

Projects by the long-listed architects will be part of an exhibition at New London Architecture. The five finalists were announced at the exhibition private view on Thursday 16 October.

YAYA: 16 Oct - 6 Nov at New London Architecture, The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London. Opening times, Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm; Sat, 10am - 5pm. Admission free
020 7636 4044 / info@newlondonarchitecture.org

The distinguished panel of judges includes: Will Alsop, SMC Alsop; Deyan Sudjic, Design Museum; David Partridge, Argent; Peter Baxter, Autodesk; Liza Fior, Muf; Amanda Baillieu, Editor, BD and Ellis Woodman, Buildings Editor, BD. The panel will be chaired by Glenn Howells, Director, Glenn Howells Architects.

Longlisted architects: Amenity Space, AOC, Architects in Residence, Architecture 53 Seven, Barnaby Gunning Architects, Claridge Architects, DOS Architects, Duggan Morris Architects, Exploration, Feix & Merlin Architects, Friend & Company Architects, Hackett Hall McKnight, Harry Dobbs Design, Inglis Badrashi Loddo, Khoury Architects, Kraus Schoenberg, McChesney Architects, Michael Trentham Architects, Mobile Studio, Nekton Design, Platform 5 Architects, Roewu, Serie Architects, Sybarite, William Tozer Architecture & Design

BD Architect of the Year Awards - Winners 2007

Stirling Prize
LEAF Awards 2008 Young Architect of the Year
Civic Trust Awards
RIBA Awards
Roses Design Awards

Young Architect of the Year Award Winner 2007 : Carmody Groarke

The Architect of the Year Awards are organised by Building Design magazine, in co-operation with Building and Property Week magazines, to identify and reward the most outstanding architects across a range of different types of design work.

BCO Awards

Wood Awards

World Architecture : e-architect - key buildings across the globe

Comments / photos for the Architect of the Year Awards page welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk

Young Architect of the Year Awards - page : adrian welch / isabelle lomholt