Kevin Doonan Architect Ltd has received two new honours from the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) for two of its recent projects.
These join the commendation from the Construction Excellence North East awards for conservation work carried out on the Dukesfield Arches near Whitley Chapel, supervised by architect Tristan Spicer.
The Hallstile Bank firm was presented with the two new awards at the LABC ceremony in two categories – best conversion and best extension.
Both projects were carried out under the direction of architect, Kate Wilson.
The first involved the comprehensive refurbishment and conversion of redundant farm buildings at West End Barn, Thorngrafton.
Commenting on the award, Kate said: “We recognised the potential of the building and capitalised on the existing open structure of the pole barn to create living accommodation which provides fantastic views of the Tyne Valley panorama.
“A more restrained treatment of the remainder of the farm buildings retained their architectural character through careful detailing of window openings and such.”
The best extension award was presented for work on Drive House in Gosforth, which saw the Edwardian building extensively refurbished.
Kate continued: “We felt there was an opportunity to create a more contemporary design solution for a large extension which provides a kitchen, dining area and living space.
“The judges acknowledged this challenging design approach in their summing up, commenting on the high quality design, detailing and execution of the work.”
Having won at the regional level, both of these projects will be submitted for judging in the national LABC awards ceremony later in the year.
Kevin Doonan said: “It is gratifying for the construction industry to recognise the work which we do as architects.
“However, we must appreciate that we are only one part of the process. Construction projects are carefully scrutinised at planning level by officers who are often pro-active in the design process.
“Building Control inspect construction on site for compliance with regulations and we finally rely on conscientious builders who care for the quality of their craftsmanship.”
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