Six shortlisted in ‘Lakes and Dales’ housing comp

Hawkins Brown and Weston Williamson head a six-strong shortlist for a RIBA-run competition to design flexible housing for younger people in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.

They are joined by McGinlay Bell, McMullan Studio, Patalab Architecture and Outpost with Giles Miller Studio in making it through to the final stage of the Great Place Lakes & Dales challenge, which was launched in March.

It seeks ideas for flexible housing targeted at the 16-34 age group with two specific sites in mind – one at Burneside in South Lakeland and the other at Horton-in-Ribblesdale in the Yorkshire Dales.

The Lakes and Dales area has 44% fewer people in the 16-34 age group than the national average, with housing cost and availability considered a major factor in the outward migration.

Richard Dowson, consultant with client the Great Place Lakes & Dales Partnership, said the organising team had been “delighted” with the level of interest and the quality of submissions in the competition, which had demonstrated the importance of rural housing.

“It was a tough job for the judging panel to choose the shortlisted three for each site but we are confident that we have exceptionally high quality finalists and are looking forward to seeing their worked-up designs,” he said.

The competition’s judging panel includes Sasha Bhavan of Knox Bhavan as RIBA advisor, Nathan Cornish of Urban Splash and designer Wayne Hemmingway.

McGinlay Bell, McMullan Studio, and Patalab Architecture are shortlisted for the Horton-in-Ribblesdale site; Hawkins Brown, Weston Williamson and Outpost with Giles Miller Studio are shortlisted for the Burneside site. Each team qualifies for a £4,000 prize.

Winners are expected to be announced in July.