Kendal College wins Civic Building of the Year Award

11 November 2009

Kendal College has won “Civic Building of the Year 2009”, in the Alteration and Extensions Category, for the £12.9 million phase 1 building project on its main site on Milnthorpe Road, Kendal.

The Award was granted by the Society of Chief Architects of Local Authorities National Award (SCALA) at a celebratory dinner held at the George Hotel, Edinburgh, on the 6th November 2009.

A total of 143 public buildings were surveyed for the awards. Thirteen of these were shortlisted, including multi-million pound projects such as Cardiff International Pool, Cardiff Castle Interpretation Centre and the Bridge Academy in Hackney, London. From the thirteen shortlisted, three were selected as winners, including Kendal College.

Principal of Kendal College, Graham Wilkinson, said: “We were really pleased with the result, particularly as we faced such stiff competition from right across the country.

“This is the third award this year, with the college winning the Kendal Civic Society Design Award 2009 and as well as runner up in the sustainability category for the Learning and Skills Council/Royal Institute of British Architects, Further Education Design Excellence Awards 2009.

“The College is now planning its Phase 2 development and we hope to make a full announcement about the start date and scope of the project at the end of November”.

SCALA is a society of architects and other professionals engaged in the built environment and public estate. The award was inaugurated in 2003 and is intended to announce and celebrate the very best achievements in public architecture.

Kendal College’s Milnthorpe Road build was designed by architects Alan Simpson and Sue Chadwick of Taylor Young and features cutting edge environmental technology, such as green screens to improve air quality, solar shading, solar heating linked to the college’s hot water systems and a ‘living’ sedum roof to improve the thermal performance of its heritage construction building.

The landmark build was completed in November 2008, since which time the college, judged good to outstanding by Ofsted, has developed and extended the range of training and education that it offers, by widening its degree level courses and the work that it does with employers at all levels, from funded NVQs to leadership and management and other high level training.

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