THE stars of Liverpool’s architectural world will gather in St George’s Hall tonight for the first awards ceremony dedicated to the city’s modern architecture.
Liverpool Architectural Society says its 2008 design awards will recognise the finest of the many buildings erected in the city over the past five years.
The ceremony comes two days before Britain’s top architecture award, the Royal Institution of British Architects’ (RIBA) Stirling Prize, is presented in the city.
The city is also playing host to a new exhibition on influential Swiss architect Le Corbusier, which has been organised by the RIBA Trust in the crypt of the Metropolitan cathedral.
LAS president Mushtaq Saleri said: “The LAS 08 awards is the first ceremony of its kind in the city.
“There are several categories, each of which is open to buildings which have been completed in the city in the past five years.
“Liverpool is a city so rich in historical architecture, and up until now there have been only minimal outlets to recognise the great modern architecture the city now has, too.
“We created the awards with a view to continuing the city’s celebrated legacy of being home to some of the most magnificent buildings in the world and we have had some great entries.
“The last five years have been quite a whirlwind for Liverpool, and this is a great time to mark all the change we’ve seen.
“We’re looking to have another ceremony next year to make it a regular event.”
The judges included Tom Bloxham, of Urban Splash, and artist Ben Johnson, who created the huge Liverpool Cityscape painting.
Category titles include Residential, Sustainability and Regeneration.
The nominees in the commercial category are Wilkinson Eyre’s Liver Street Car Park and Link Bridge in Liverpool One, Austin-Smith:Lord’s One Arthouse Square, ShedKM and Snook Architects’ Matchbox and AHHM’s Unity building.
The projects shortlisted in the conservation category include Brock Carmichael’s work on the Anglican Cathedral, and the conversion of an empty warehouse in the Baltic Triangle into the Novas Contemporary Urban Centre.
Other Liverpool firms nominated include Union North and DK Architects.
alistairhoughton
