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Details of the 2007 Conservation Awards and Commendations

Awards

 Broad Chalke Primary School

           The creation of a completely new village primary school on a greenfield site marked this from the outset as a significant project, something emphasised by the amount of community effort which had clearly gone into it, not least in fundraising. The location, very much on the edge of the village if not outside it, had presented both constraints and opportunities, which the judges felt had been responded to imaginatively. The building respects the surrounding downland by sitting low in the landscape, while occupying a relatively large footprint. The resulting long low-pitched roofs are made a major feature of the design, cleverly counterpointed by the reverse pitch of the roof to the circular projection which marks out the entrance. The walling materials of flint, brick and timber boarding, with generous areas of glass, reflect the local vernacular, while the white render of the projection again forms an effective contrast. Half term prevented a tour of the interior, but it was clear from photographs that the internal spaces were cheerful and well-finished. The school seemed to the judges to represent a highly successful response to its brief, and to clearly merit an award.

East Knoyle Community Shop

           This was a slightly unusual nomination, in that what was being judged was only partially the building. The community effort that drove it, even greater than that already seen at Broad Chalke, was such a vital part of the project that the judges were happy to give it equal weight. The decision to create a new village shop, after the closure of the previous post office, was something they could applaud for its contribution to sustainability in its broadest sense, not only reducing the need for car journeys to shops elsewhere, but also maintaining a strong sense of local effort and achievement. The building itself also met the judges' criteria, being a simple, attractive structure using local materials, many of them reclaimed from the bus shelter formerly on the site. The design had been carefully thought out, so as to respect the adjacent wall memorial, and to retain the listed K6 phone box, which the building almost touches. The shop looks entirely right for its location, and the judges were impressed by the way this had been accomplished, and equally by the strong evidence of local commitment which had led to the shop's creation, and which continues to run it successfully. An award seemed a very appropriate acknowledgement of this achievement.

Housing in Clements Lane, Mere

           Although it was originally submitted as part of a joint nomination with the adjacent Walnut Tree pub, the judges decided that this terrace of four houses should be considered in isolation. They were struck by its essential simplicity and lack of pretension, and by the way it referred back to an earlier tradition of village or small town housing, in an outlying part of Mere whose character owes much to the less successful elements of C20th house design. The use of natural stone walling and timber windows, the direct frontage onto the main road southwards out of the town, and the relegation of car parking to the rear of the site, out of public view, all combined to produce an addition to the district's housing stock which showed how long-dominant suburban tendencies could be resisted, and elements of a tight urban grain could be reintroduced. The judges were particularly impressed by the way a high quality approach, using materials which were certainly not the cheapest, could be adopted for the construction of affordable housing. They were happy that an award, merited in itself for the success of the scheme, might also be seen as encouragement for the view that this type of development should have a motivation towards visual enhancement, as well as purely social aims

London Road park and ride building, Salisbury

           Of all the projects which received Awards or Commendations, this one required the least discussion. The judges immediately recognised it as a building which responded with great success to the requirements of its brief, providing a facility which would meet the needs of park and rider users in a simple but effective way. It uses a straightforward palette of materials to create an honest and cheerful structure, which eschews any references to historic styles and adds a welcome contemporary touch to a city which is traditionally nervous of anything resembling modernity in its buildings. The blue ceramic tiling on the car park side creates a bright and positive feel, with other less assertive materials slotted in around with a minimum of fuss, but all contributing to the overall effect. The outcome is a building which is unapologetically functional, but whose designers have made sensible choices within a tight budget to create something which quietly adds an element of quality to a fairly mundane corner of the city.       

Commendations

Little Maddington, Shrewton

                       This new house, set in the walled garden to an eighteenth century red brick manor house, makes an immediate impact through its use of a buff-coloured brick. This had clearly been carefully chosen to mark the new house out as a building with its own distinct character, rather than one tamely following in the footsteps of the neighbouring property. Other elements of the external design, particularly the simply framed and generally undivided glazing, reinforced this effect, creating a house with a very contemporary feel, without veering into out and out modernism. The use of natural stone for the surround to the front door, rather than the artificial variety which would often be encountered in this sort of context, emphasised a commitment to quality which was a key to ensuring the success of this approach. The judges liked the simple uncluttered feel of the interior spaces, and the way the new garden around the house helped to establish it as an appropriate addition to its walled garden context. The overall success of the house was such as to make the judges feel that a commendation was highly merited.

Sure Start Children's Centre, Trafalgar School, Downton

            This new facility sits comfortably in its prominent setting by the main road, presenting a low profile with wide shallow-pitched roofs and traditional materials, and works well as a child-friendly building.
Internal and external spaces are well integrated, with windows brought down to ground level to maximise views out for small children, and the interiors themselves well-lit and welcoming. The play areas have an intimate scale fostered by the low eaves line, with timber boarding replacing the brick used elsewhere to create a softer effect. The overall use of materials and build quality was felt to be as successful as in any of the projects looked at. The building was applauded for its positive contribution to sustainability through the use of solar panels, and all in all, the judges deemed it to be well worth a commendation.

House at 51 Hulse Road, Salisbury

           The judges welcomed the contemporary approach adopted in the design of this house, at a time when almost every new house in the city attempts to ape traditional styles, more often than not to unsatisfactory effect. The use of painted render and very simple roof details was felt to make a welcome change to the almost ubiquitous brickwork, often shoddily executed, which is found elsewhere. The riverside elevation was felt to be particularly successful, with generous glazing and a timber veranda over the riverbank, a fairly rare example in Salisbury of proper advantage being taken of a location alongside one of its rivers. A commendation was awarded for the success of the house in itself, and also because of the message it sends out to other developers, that endless low-grade mimicking of earlier forms and details is not the only option, and that a more thoughtful approach has more chance of enhancing the quality of the city's built environment.