Alne Wood Park Green Burial Site, Warwickshire Design Competition, Architects, News
Alne Wood Park Architecture Competition
English Design Contest, near Alcester, Warwickshire, west England, UK
14 Nov 2013
Alne Wood Park Competition
Winner announced for Green Burial Site reception building, Alne Wood Park, Warwickshire
Green Burial Site Reception Building
14 November 2013 – be paris | baumschlager eberle are announced today as the winners of the competition to design a non-denominational reception building that will provide commemorative services for a green burial site to be created at Alne Wood Park, near Alcester. RIBA Competitions managed the selection process on behalf of Warwickshire landowner Felix Dennis – who is working in partnership with registered charity The Heart of England Forest Ltd. – to plant and preserve a large native broadleaf forest in the heart of England. The green burial site seeks to complement this overarching vision via an appropriate development which will provide a reliable source of income, increase rural employment, bio-diversity and public engagement with the landscape.
image : be paris | baumschlager eberle
The Judging Panel consisted of Felix Dennis and David Bliss (Trustees, The Heart of England Forest Ltd.), Colin Shenton (Shenton Group), with Stephen Hodder (Hodder+Partners) acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser.
The selection process was launched in late 2012 with the first stage, which took the form of a short Expression of Interest document together with an A3 sheet outlining preliminary ideas and approach to site/context, attracting ninety-four submissions. be paris | baumschlager eberle were selected from a four strong shortlist which also included (in alphabetical order of design team lead): Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Jonathan Hendry Architects and Rainey Petrie Architecture. The Judging Panel was extremely impressed by the way in which all four teams had developed their preliminary sketch ideas from the first phase of the competition and their careful consideration of the subject matter.
The Panel faced a difficult task in selecting a winner from the very varied approaches to design and site context. Panel members felt that the contemporary insertion proposed by the be paris | baumschlager eberle team – whose ‘floating’ grid shell roof sought inspiration from the canopy of an oak tree with a shimmering glass envelope beneath – would complement and meld into the beautiful landscape setting of the Alne Wood burial site. Felix Dennis looks forward to working with the be paris | baumschlager eberle team, the local community and planners to realise the reception building scheme.
David Bliss commented: ‘I am delighted with the feedback we have received so far from local residents and look forward to the continued consultation’.
be paris | baumschlager eberle
12 Dec 2012
Alne Wood Park – Warwickshire Architecture Competition
Shortlist announced for Green Burial Site reception building, Alne Wood Park, Warwickshire
The Shortlist is announced today for the competition to design a non-denominational reception building that will provide commemorative services for a green burial site to be created at Alne Wood Park, near Alcester. RIBA Competitions is managing the selection process on behalf of Warwickshire landowner Felix Dennis – who is working in partnership with registered charity The Heart of England Forest Ltd. – to plant and preserve a large native broadleaf forest in the heart of England. The green burial site seeks to complement this overarching vision via an appropriate development which will provide a reliable source of income, increase rural employment, bio-diversity and public engagement with the landscape.
The Judging Panel consisted of Felix Dennis and David Bliss (Trustees, The Heart of England Forest Ltd.), Colin Shenton (Shenton Group), with Stephen Hodder Hodder+Partners) acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser. Practices were asked to show examples of relevant work from their portfolio, together with outlining their preliminary ideas about the project, and proposed approach to design and site context.
The Panel was delighted by the response to the competition which attracted 94 Expressions of Interest from architects based in the UK and Europe. Panel members were impressed by the range of proposed approaches and the understanding of the subject matter demonstrated within the supporting narrative material. The four short-listed practices (in alphabetical order) are:
– Baumschlager Eberle Hauvette Paris
– Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
– Jonathan Hendry Architects
– Rainey Petrie Architecture
Members of the Judging Panel commented:
‘I was completely astonished by the response of architects to this RIBA competition, not just at the number of entries but the grasp of the necessary details and vision exhibited’.
Felix Dennis
‘The Judging Panel was impressed and excited by the breadth and quality of the 94 submissions; there is a great deal of creativity in the architectural community and matching this to such an unusual brief will produce one of England`s finest new buildings’.
Colin Shenton
‘The competition has been a great success. We are looking forward to seeing the design ideas develop and then working with the eventual winner, the local community and planners to build a structure that will fit perfectly with its surroundings’.
David Bliss
Following more detailed development of the design proposals, the four practices will be invited to present their schemes to the Judging Panel at a final interview to be held in March 2013.
Alne Wood Park Warwickshire Architecture Competition information from RIBA Competitions
Location: Alne Wood Park, Alcester, Warwickshire, England, UK
Architecture in England
Contemporary Architecture in England
Warwickshire Buildings
Royal Shakespeare Theatre – redevelopment, Stratford-upon-Avon
Bennetts Associates
image © Peter Cook
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Warwick Students Union
MJP
photograph © Peter Durant
Warwick Students Union
BFI Master Film Store
Edward Cullinan Architects
photograph : Edmund Sumner
BFI Master Film Store
The Royal Shakespeare Company Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Ian Ritchie Architects
photo from architects
Warwickshire theatre building
University of Warwick Campus
bmj architects
photograph : Lightworks Photography
Warwickshire University Building
The Heart of England Forest Project
The Heart of England Forest Project is a partnership initiative between Warwickshire landowner, Felix Dennis, and The Heart of England Forest Ltd., a registered charity. The aim of the partnership is to plant and preserve a large native broadleaf forest in the heart of England. To date, the Heart of England Forest Project has been responsible for acquiring and planting 2,200 acres of land with native broadleaf sapling, much of it close to veteran woodland also purchased by Mr. Dennis. The project recently established its own tree nursery. For more information go to http://www.heartofenglandforest.com
RIBA Architecture Competition in York : recent English design contest
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