Thursday, 27 June 2019
A state-of-the-art building on University Park campus has won a National Award from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
The Teaching and Learning Building has been recognised with the prestigious award for its significant contribution to architecture.
Features of the building, which opened in late 2018, include a number of teaching rooms and classrooms, multiple individual and group study spaces and a computer lab. Other features include a 306-seat lecture theatre with triple projection and a learning lab, both with Windows Surface Hubs.
We are delighted that RIBA has chosen to recognise the University’s commitment to great design and our continued investment in delivering a great experience for our students. We’ve had fantastic feedback from the users of the building in its first year of use and we know the space is already loved by those who use it.
The Teaching and Learning Building is among 54 stunning architectural gems from across the UK to have received 2019 RIBA National Awards including the restoration of Battersea Arts Centre, London Bridge Station, the Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience in Moray and The Weston at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
The shortlist for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize, for the UK’s best building of the year, will be drawn from these winners and announced on Thursday 18 July.
RIBA explained: “The Teaching and Learning Building is arranged around a simple idea of maintaining key circulation routes through the campus that also connect to a series of teaching blocks around a central atrium. These blocks are then pushed and pulled to relate to the building’s neighbours, a 20th Century villa and the Hallward Library.
“The entire building is set out on a rigorous one metre grid. A white terracotta tile rain screen, whose depth of reflection and subtle colouration continually changes as light falls on each elevation, defines the upper façade of the blocks. Below a datum line, that is set out from the neighbouring library, the plinth is detailed in finished masonry. These materials have been chosen carefully and the building should age gracefully because of it.” Read the full description here.
The Teaching and Learning Building was put forward for the accolade after winning a Regional Award and a Special Award for sustainability at the RIBA East Midlands 2019 awards last month. The East Midlands ceremony also saw a University of Nottingham student, Ross Burns, be awarded one of two RIBA East Midland Student Awards for 2018, for his project The Isle of Awakening.
Ross’s work had been described by RIBA judges as: "A standout submission representing a high-quality Part 1 design that met all aspects of the student awards brief/criteria. A range of traditional hand drawings and models woven into a series of story boards illustrating a clear understanding of place and context. The design displayed a strong tectonic approach to materiality and architectural expression."
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…