A stunning residential project in London has been crowned the global ‘winner of winners’ in the biennial Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards, organised by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in association with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Kings Gate in Victoria Street, London SW1 is a development of 100 luxury apartments and penthouses by Land Securities. The imaginative specification of architectural ironmongery included door furniture in solid cast nickel silver, which is thought to be the first use of nickel silver in a major project since the 1960s. The effect is enhanced by a variety of hardware, custom designed to the architect’s conceptual detail.
The architect was Lynch Architects, and the architectural ironmonger was izé.
The project beat 19 other shortlisted projects to scoop the top prize in these awards which reward excellence in the specification of architectural ironmongery in residential and commercial buildings, public sector health and education buildings, hospitality buildings such as hotels, and international projects outside the UK and Ireland.
Architects, specifiers, building contractors, clients and their architectural ironmongery advisers and suppliers across the world nominate their projects, and every shortlisted entry receives a visit from an experienced assessor.
For each building, judges are looking at the scope of works, the suitability of the architectural ironmongery and its fitness for purpose, its compliance with relevant regulations and standards, and its aesthetic excellence.
The judges said of Kings Gate:
“This is a stunning development. We felt that the design, manufacture and supply of the bespoke handles really demonstrated the value that comes from such a strong relationship between architect and architectural ironmonger.
“Other ironmongery specified to great effect included concealed hinges and flush pull handles which required little emphasis to fade neatly in to the background. izé has sensitively selected the appropriate fittings throughout this scheme in all situations and should be justly proud of the end result.”
Kings Gate was also the Residential category winner. In second place was another izé project at Orme Square, a refurbishment with Pilbrow & Partners. Third place was Hop House by John Planck Ltd and Brimelow McSweeney Architects. All three projects are in London.
The other category award winners were:
Commercial:
1st Place: Design Museum, London – Allgood PLC and John Pawson
2nd Place: Leadenhall Building – Allgood PLC and Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners
3rd Place: Airedale International Air Conditioning – Em-B Solutions and DarntonB3 Architecture
Public Health & Education:
1st Place: Acre Mill, Huddersfield – Em-B Solutions and Jefferson Sheard Architects
2nd Place: New Bodleian Library, Oxford – John Planck Ltd and WilkinsonEyre
3rd Place: Academic Wing, Wolfson College, Oxford – d line Eisenware and Berman Guedes Stretton Architects
Hospitality:
1st Place: The Arts Club Hotel, London – Harbrine Ltd and Sagrada
2nd Place: Wombat’s City Hostel, London – Häfele UK Ltd and Mulroy Architects
3rd Place: Berkeley Hotel, London – izé and Heah & Co Design Consultants
International:
1st Place: Shantou University Medical College, China – Key Technologies International and Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd
2nd Place: Midfield Concourse, Hong Kong – Key Technologies International and Aedas Group International Limited
3rd Place: Four Seasons, Dubai – Allgood and WATG
Maria Powell, president of the GAI, says:
“The Specification Awards show architectural ironmongery at its beautiful best, enhancing not only the security, accessibility and fire safety of the building, but also adding to its functionality and longevity.
“These awards are also unique because they reward the whole specification team, highlighting the importance of the professional partnership between architectural ironmongers and their clients.”
The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) is the body that represents the interests of the architectural ironmongery industry in the UK and internationally. Its qualifications, education and CPD programmes are widely respected throughout the world. Its technical information service is the only specialist service of its kind and provides GAI members with comprehensive advice.
The awards were sponsored by GEZE UK, Forza Doors, ASSA ABLOY UK, Harbrine, Frank Allart, Carlisle Brass, dormakaba and Em-B Solutions.
