Competition to design Whitehaven mixed-use development Portland Place, London Middlesex England

An international competition to design a £10 million mixed-use development in Cumbria has been launched.

RIBA Competitions is running the two stage contest to select an architect-led team for a key site beside Whitehaven harbour.

Whitehaven is one of Europe’s most complete surviving examples of a Georgian planned town.

Over the past 10 years its port has been redeveloped into a leisure marina. Now it is hoped to create an active harbour frontage with improved links to the town centre.

The scheme will include apartments and offices and, say the competition organisers, will “need to set a benchmark for creative, contextual design and achieve a sustainable development of long-lasting architectural quality.”

Sherrie Robinson, project manager at Britain’s Energy Coast West Cumbria, which is running the project, said:  ‘Whitehaven is a Georgian gem which boasts superb architecture and unique character. 

“We will be looking for designs that demonstrate the town’s ambitions for the future while at the same time being sympathetic to its rich heritage’. 

The competition is open to teams which, at Stage 2, will need to include a structural engineer and an M&E consultant. 

Architectural students who are working towards their part III may also enter but “will need to give due consideration to a proposed delivery strategy in the event of them being short-listed and potentially being in a position to go on and win the competition”.
For  details of how to register see: www.riba-whitehavencentralsite.org.uk from Wednesday 14 July 2010.  The deadline for submissions is September 17.

Source: www.bdonline.co.uk