Citizens Design Bureau and Tonkin Liu shortlisted for RIBA North West Awards

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Manchester Jewish Museum by Citizens Design Bureau

Tower of Light and Wall of Energy in Manchester, by Tonkin Liu

Source: David Valinsk

Falconer Chester Hall's refurbishment of the grade II*-listed India Buildings in Liverpool

Source: Infinite 3D

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios' Manchester Metropolitan University School of Digital Arts

Source: David Bewick

Hawkins Brown's UCLan Student Centre and University Square at Preston

Source: Jack Hobhouse

BDP's WaterSHED at Wardle Academy in Rochdale

Source: Nick Caville

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Citizens Design Bureau’s Manchester Jewish Museum and Tonkin Liu’s Tower of Light and Wall of Energy in the city are among 10 projects shortlisted for RIBA North West Awards this year.

CDB, which was named Public Building Architect of the Year 2022 at Building Design’s Architect of the Year Awards, created new gallery space and a café at a grade II*-listed former synagogue for its project, which was backed with £5.5m of Heritage Lottery Fund support.

Tonkin Liu’s shortlisted scheme combines a 40m high tower enclosing flues for a low-carbon energy centre in Manchester city centre with a 63m-long street-facing façade covered in glazed ceramic tiles. The tower uses the shell-lace structure the practice has developed in conjunction with Arup.

Other shortlisted projects include Falconer Chester Hall’s refurbishment of the grade II*-listed India Buildings in Liverpool city centre, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios’ Manchester Metropolitan University School of Digital Arts and Hawkins Brown’s University of Central Lancashire Student Centre and University Square in Preston.

BDP’s WaterSHED project at Wardle Academy in Rochdale transformed a disused school sports hall into a suite of classrooms, a dining area and social space.

RIBA North West jury chair Darren Smith, who is a senior architect at Aecom, said the 10 shortlisted projects highlighted the quality of work being built in the region.

“Those shortlisted demonstrated the vision and high standard required and more,” he said.

“Each shows what is possible when good design is allowed and encouraged to flourish. These projects are the result of years of considered design and collaborative working, resulting in purposeful spaces which beguile, stimulate, and offer comfort to their users and the public at large.”

The winning projects will be announced later in the spring. They will go forward for consideration for other RIBA accolades, including National Awards.

The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize is drawn from National Award-winning projects.