Work to refurbish the University of Leicester’s Engineering Building roof has been shortlisted in the Architects’ Journal’s AJ Retrofit Awards 2017.
The project, which saw the replacement of the roof and glass facades of this architecturally significant building, has been recognised in the category of ‘Listed Building over £5m’.
The Engineering Building is a Grade 2* listed property of great architectural significance. It was the first major post-modern building in Britain and was designed by world-famous architects James Stirling and James Gowan. It has regularly featured in lists of the UK’s most famous and inspiring 20th Century buildings.
Built in the 1960s, the unique and distinctive roof and vertical glazed panels had reached the end of their useful life. The project has seen the replacement of 2,500 panels which visually remained faithful to the original design but which perform to much higher standards.
The team worked closely with stakeholders such as the City Council, Heritage England and the 20th Century Society, as well as contractors, to ensure that the integrity of the building was retained while also enabling its continued use in the future.
Pete Bale, Senior Project Manager, said: “This was a challenging and complex project which required a huge amount of teamwork and co-operation between numerous internal and external partners. Being shortlisted for this award is a tribute to all of the hard work that went into bringing the project to fruition.”
The AJ Retrofit Awards 2017 are run by the Architects’ Journal in order to recognise and celebrate design, engineering and construction excellence that prolongs and improves the life of the built environment. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 13 September 2017.
