Eye-catching and iconic
FCB Studios for Bowmer & Kirkland
Contract value: £15 million
GIA: 4633m2
Project Architect of the Year (Matt Williams) sponsored by Lafarge Tarmac
Hayle, on the north Cornwall coast, was the port that served the Cornish and West Devon tin and copper mines and today is part of a world heritage site. The first stage of its regeneration process was restoration of the quay as amenity space. The next stage was to provide a contemporary supermarket. This is both eye-catching and iconic and it has the feel of an impressive civic building as its floating brass rhombus collides with the ground.
Delivery and service yards are enclosed in a contrasting dark water-struck brick, a nod to the Scoria blocks typical of Hayle. It is the detailing of this brickwork that again lifts building well above the norm for the type. Special praise should be given to the architect, client and indeed town for shaping a building that not only adds something very special but also illustrates that this typology can transcend a mere shed and provide a town with more than just a place to buy food.
See other winners in the RIBA Regional Awards 2015 – South West and Wessex