Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition, Architecture Contest Kent, News

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition

Kent Architectural Contest, England, UK

7 Nov 2013

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition Winner

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition Winner News

HYLAND EDGAR DRIVER TEAM WINS CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN COMPETITION

image © Hyland Edgar Driver Landscape Architects

Landscape architects inspired by the Cathedral’s archives and glass art

The team led by Hyland Edgar Driver Landscape Architects has won the Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition.

The design competition, which was launched in the early summer, sought an exceptional team to rethink how visitors approach and encounter England’s first Cathedral. The Jury was unanimous in choosing the HED team (who collaborated with Andrew Moor Associates, Thorn Lighting Limited and KLH Sustainability) from the five practices shortlisted to develop concept designs at the design competition’s second stage.

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition winning design:

pictures © Hyland Edgar Driver Landscape Architects

The successful proposal was distinctive in approaching the sensitive and historic site with a master-planning strategy. It concentrated on the welcome for visitors and chose to narrate Canterbury’s historic, cultural and architectural stories through contemporary artworks in glass and stone.

The team derived inspiration from the Cathedral’s archives and glass art. They suggested developing a pavement of etched ‘ledgers’ (large flagstones) to form a new piazza, as well as a Pilgrims’ bench with drinking fountains and basins, and seasonal planting at the Cathedral’s West Front.

They also proposed restoring lost flint walls, reintroducing herbs and wildflowers to the Precincts and using highly-sustainable techniques to reclaim and recycle existing materials.

Canterbury Cathedral’s Receiver General and the chair of the jury, Brigadier John Meardon said:
“I am delighted with the outcome of this competition which produced some very interesting and innovative ideas. In the end, the jury was convinced by the approach and depth of understanding that HED showed for this very important setting. The project will make a significant contribution to the life of the Cathedral and enhance the welcome we give to all our visitors. Canterbury Cathedral would like to extend their sincere thanks to Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing for making this competition possible.”

Malcolm Reading, competition organiser and adviser to the jury, said:
The brief called for exemplary and sustainable landscape design, which recognises the spiritual, historic and national importance of the site. The winning team was the one which took this message to heart, coming up with original ideas and a refreshing but also realistic approach.’

HED’s Associate, Arthur Gelling, said:
Canterbury Cathedral has a unique place in our cultural, architectural and historic heritage and we are absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to play a role in its continuing story. We look forward to working alongside the Dean and Chapter and the many stakeholders to bring their ambitions for the Precincts to fruition.’

HED is an award-winning practice with a strong reputation for innovative work in landscape design, landscape architecture and urban design. It was part of Team Stadium who worked on the Stadium Island landscaping for the London 2012 Games.

The Canterbury site, which provides the setting for the Grade I listed Cathedral and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, was last updated following the Second World War. Five teams were shortlisted in the contest for the project. The others were teams led by Kossmann.dejong, Michael Lee Architects, Purcell, and Todd Longstaffe-Gowan Ltd Landscape Design.

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition Winner information from Malcolm Reading Consultants

29 Jul 2013

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition Shortlist

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition Shortlist

MRC is delighted to announce the shortlist for the Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition. The selected teams will now be asked to develop concept designs which reimagine and reinvigorate the existing setting.

Canterbury Cathedral, advised by MRC, selected five teams to work on the project. These are:
Hyland Edgar Driver Landscape Architects (UK) in collaboration with Andrew Moor Associates, Thorn Lighting Limited and KLH Sustainability.

Kossmann.dejong (The Netherlands) in collaboration with Felixx, ROD’OR Advies and VAN DEN BERK Nurseries.

Michael Lee Architects (UK) in collaboration with Austin Winkley & Associates, NORM, Biodiversity by Design, Noel Kingsbury and Jackson Coles Construction Consultants.

Purcell (UK) in collaboration with ARUP, Tonkin Liu, Bare Leaning & Bare (Synergy LLP) and Fletcher Teckman Consulting Ltd.

Todd Longstaffe-Gowan Ltd Landscape Design (UK) in collaboration with Gianni Botsford Architects, Langlands & Bell, Press & Starkey and Hockley & Dawson.

‘Site Plan’:

picture © Malcolm Reading Consultants

Competition organiser, Malcolm Reading, commented:

‘We had a fascinating response, roughly divided into teams led by architects and landscape architects, respectively. The selected teams reflect this mix but also bring a strong narrative, specialist or craft collaborator. They really got under the skin of the competition brief and we are looking forward to a stimulating second stage’.

The Cathedral has deliberately sought a range of talent and experience. Each firm brings different strengths and expertise to the project.

The shortlisted teams have been given the opportunity to reconsider the way visitors first encounter England’s leading Cathedral and Mother Church.

The brief calls for exemplary and sustainable landscape design, which recognises the spiritual, historic and national importance of the site. It includes improving the visual and sensory experience of entering the Precincts, as well as wayfinding, and connecting visitors with the Cathedral’s history, personalities and stories.
The winning team will be announced in Autumn 2013.

13 Jun 2013

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition News

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition Launched

Registration deadline : 17 Jul 2013

LAUNCH OF THE CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN COMPETITION ANNOUNCED

Design teams invited to rethink how visitors and pilgrims approach the Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral is delighted to announce a design competition to find an outstanding team to revitalise the landscape immediately in front of the main Cathedral entrance.

The competition is an opportunity for designers to reconsider the way visitors first encounter England’s leading Cathedral and Mother Church.

SW Porch of Canterbury Cathedral:

picture © Canterbury Cathedral

Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Cathedral’s Precincts were last remodelled in the 1940’s. The Cathedral is looking for a creative team who combine sensitivity to the classic and historic qualities of the space with an ability to meet modern expectations.

Brigadier John Meardon, Receiver General of Canterbury Cathedral said, ‘More than a million visitors enter the Precincts every year and the setting of the Cathedral is their first contact with this numinous and astonishingly beautiful building. The welcome we offer them should show us at our best. We are grateful to Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing for generously funding this competition, which is one strand of our programme to conserve and share this building with a wider audience.’

Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) is managing the competition on behalf of the Cathedral and further details of the project and how to register for the competition are available on the dedicated competition microsite.

Aerial View of the Precincts:

picture © Clive (Clicks 2006)

Malcolm Reading, Chairman of MRC and organiser behind recent design competitions for the V&A, the Cadogan Estate and the Olympic Park Legacy Company, commented: ‘It’s an unusual challenge for a team, mixing landscape and place-making with a respect for a setting with the highest heritage protection. This is a space that needs to be welcoming, offer sanctuary and also opportunities for celebration. We are hoping for collaborations that balance a rich mix of different skills with sensitivity to the needs of visitors, pilgrims and the church community.’

A creative exploration of the project is strongly encouraged along with interesting multi-disciplinary collaborations.

Competitors have until July 17, 2013 to enter the first stage of the competition. All entrants must follow the registration procedure as explained on the competition website.

From the responses a shortlist of five (the competition’s second stage) will be chosen to work up concept propositions (for which an honorarium will be paid to the unsuccessful teams).

SW Wide View of Canterbury Cathedral:

picture © Canterbury Cathedral

The shortlist will be announced in the late Summer and the winning team announced in the Autumn.

Canterbury Cathedral Landscape Design Competition information from Malcolm Reading Consultants

Location: Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, England, UK

Kent Design Competition Background

The site is within the Precincts, adjacent to the West Front and Christ Church Gate. The Grade I listed Cathedral is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The extent of the site affected and budget for the eventual works will be defined in part by the winning team, and is expected to amount to roughly £1 million.

Canterbury Cathedral is England’s first Cathedral and Mother Church of the Anglican Communion. Created for worship, learning and discovery, it was founded by St Augustine, the first Archbishop, in 579 AD. St Augustine’s original building lies beneath the floor of the nave– it was extensively rebuilt and enlarged by the Saxons, and the Cathedral was rebuilt completely by the Normans in 1070 following a major fire.

There have been many additions to the building over the last nine hundred years, but parts of the quire and some of the windows and their stained glass date from the 12th century. The Cathedral was run by as a monastery by Benedictine monks from the 10th century to 1540, when the monastery was closed on the orders of King Henry VIII. Responsibility for the services and upkeep of the building was then passed to the Dean and Chapter.

During the Civil War of the 1640s, the Cathedral suffered damage at the hands of the Puritans; much of the medieval stained glass was smashed and horses were stabled in the nave. After the Restoration in 1660, the building was repaired.

In the early 19th Century, the Northwest tower was found to be dangerous and it was demolished in the early 1830s and replaced by a copy of the Southwest tower, giving a symmetrical appearance to the west end of the Cathedral. In the course of the Second World War, the Precincts were heavily damaged by bombing and the Cathedral’s Library was destroyed.

Today, the Cathedral stands as a place where prayer to God has been offered daily for over 1,400 years. The Cathedral currently welcomes over a million visitors a year. In March 2013, it was the setting for the enthronement of the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, and head of the Church of England, the Most Reverend Justin Welby. For more information please see www.canterbury-cathedral.org

Canterbury Cathedral Competition – external link

Kent Building Designs

Kent Architecture Designs – selection below:

Kent & Medway Medical School, Canterbury
Architects: Hazle McCormack Young LLP

image courtesy of architects
Kent & Medway Medical School
The building provides teaching facilities and staff accommodation for 300 students.It will be Kent’s first medical school, bringing together the existing centres of excellence in health and medical education provided by the two universities as well as local healthcare organisations, thereby offering a new model of patient-focused medical education.

Split House, Sevenoaks
Architect: London Atelier

photography : Alan Williams
New House in Sevenoaks
A new-build three storey family home set into a steep hill in Sevenoaks, Kent. The site is set between two detached houses on a hill sloping down towards the North. The mass is split into two halves connected via a central glazed link envisaged as an atrium housing the staircase.