RIBA design competitions for new rural attractions
Two separate architectural competitions are being held to create high-quality tourist facilities in parts of Lancashire and Cumbria.
A performance structure within the castle keep at Egremont Castle in Cumbria and a visitor centre for the Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Nature Reserve near Preston in Lancashire are the subjects of the design competitions organised by the RIBA Competitions Office.
In Egremont the brief is for an innovative design for a removable structure, which will allow the castle to be used for concerts and public performances.
Architects, designers, engineers and respective students are being invited to submit their designs for the scheme, which is being promoted by Grizedale Arts in conjunction with Egremont and Area Regeneration Partnership as part of the Creative Egremont public art strategy.
The project forms part of an ambitious regeneration strategy for the West Cumbrian town and is funded by West Lakes Renaissance and Arts Council England.
At Brockholes, the RIBA is inviting architects and architect-led multi-disciplinary design teams to draw up plans for new visitor facilities including a café, shop, gallery and meeting rooms. The proposed suite is intended to be of carbon neutral construction, drawing on local resources where possible.
The competition is being promoted by Lancashire Wildlife Trust in association with the North West Development Agency and The Forestry Commission with support from the Tubney Charitable Trust.
The Brockholes project forms part of the £59m Newlands land regeneration scheme, Britain's largest ever environmental programme and it is hoped that Brockholes will become a nature conservation site of regional, national and international importance.
The submission deadline for the Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Nature Reserve is Wednesday 19 September 2007. The deadline for the Egremont competition has now passed.
