A former derelict cutlery factory in Sheffield which underwent a dramatic £2.2m refurbishment is in the running for one of the UK’s most prestigious architectural awards.

Albert Works, on Sidney Street in the city’s Cultural Industries Quarter, is one of three Yorkshire developments to have won a prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) National Award, and designers will find out next month if it has made the shortlist of six UK buildings in the running for the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize.

The RIBA Stirling Prize is presented each year to the designers behind the country’s best new building.

Albert Works is one of 49 developments across the country which made the long list following its national award win. It is one of three buildings in Yorkshire to be recognised by RIBA, alongside Old Shed New House in North Yorkshire, The Piece Hall and Calderdale Central Library and Archives in Halifax.

The £2.2m office complex, with around 1,600sqm of floor space, was created by Cartwright Pickard Architects for Sheffield-based City Estates and is now home to the creative marketing agency Jaywing.

Judges praised the team behind the development for breathing new life into the derelict warehouse buildings to create a ‘generous and calm working environment’. They were particularly impressed by how architects managed to balance the new and old elements to create a ‘wonderfully lit’ flexible workspace.

Albert Works’ creators were praised for creatively fusing old and new elements.

This isn’t the first time City Estates has teamed up with Cartwright Pickard, who were also the architects behind the firm’s Sellers Wheel and Gatecrasher complexes.

City Estates is the company behind the long-established West.ONE development, which is approaching its 15-year anniversary but remains one of the most popular mixed-use developments in the city.

City Estates director Dale Fixter said: “Albert Works’ RIBA National Award win and subsequent inclusion in the long list for the RIBA Stirling Prize is a fantastic achievement for all involved.

“National recognition of this superb conversion, as well as proving a huge accolade for Cartwright Pickard Architects, helps to raise the profile of our regeneration of part of Sheffield’s Cultural Industries Quarter and our efforts to create a mixed-use destination rivalled only by the most cutting-edge areas of London and Manchester and internationally.”

 

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