Actively promotes collaboration and openness
CPMG Architects for De Montfort University
Contract value: £42m
Internal area: 25,000 m²
Cost per m²: £1,680
This substantial art and design campus centre actively promotes collaboration and openness between departments and has transformed a significant area of the city for the public.
A retained 12-storey tower serves as the focal point for the composition around which other spaces are skilfully arranged. The clear legibility of the layout results from the insertion of a series of dramatic atria, which mediate between the different building forms and allow visual connections between departments. Internally the aesthetic often exhibits an honest, industrial approach adding liveliness and interest. Elsewhere the building is calmer, functioning more as a backdrop to students’ work. Spaces such as the roof terraces, riverside café, and generous public realm are particularly successful in connecting the interior functions to the surrounding context and promoting the enjoyment of this part of the city and riverside.
See more winners in the RIBA regional awards - East Midlands