Double award success for landmark Bournemouth development

Posted: 16/06/2015 at 7:55pm

A Bournemouth regeneration partnership has scooped two prestigious awards for a £26.5 million town centre development.

The Madeira Road transformation, led by The Bournemouth Development Company, has seen an under-used surface car park replaced with much needed student accommodation alongside a new council-run multi-storey car park.

The project has won separate South West regional awards designed to recognise the strength of collaborative working and community involvement.

Both sets of awards are co-ordinated and judged by construction industry professionals.

At the Built Environment Awards, run by Construction Excellence and the Chartered Institute of Building, Madeira Road won the Integration and Collaborative Working Award.

At the Building Excellence Awards held by Local Authority Building Control, it won the category of Best Public Service Building.

The Bournemouth Development Company is a partnership between Bournemouth Borough Council and Morgan Sindall Investments.

Its aim is to deliver the council’s long-term Town Centre Vision though revitalised infrastructure, homes, education, family attractions, public spaces, business and retail facilities.

Bournemouth Development Company Director Duncan Johnston said: “We have delivered an architecturally impressive project at Madeira Road through clear leadership, a consistent message and a seamless project team.

“The awards are testament to the combined input of many people including Arts University Bournemouth as accommodation client, construction experts from Morgan Sindall, local architects, urban designers and council planners.

“From the outset, there was a culture of trust and inclusivity with the aim of integrating team members to such an extent that they were seen as a single entity.”

The three blocks for Arts University Bournemouth opened in September 2014 and house 378 students in more than 60 flats and studio apartments.

Next door, the 382-space multi-storey car park has become a vital parking amenity for workers, commuters and visitors.

Its exterior features an attractive series of large, bright aluminium ‘fins’ in eight graduating shades from pale yellow through to bright orange, serving as a striking ‘welcome’ to Bournemouth alongside the Wessex Way.

The regional awards mean that Madeira Road goes forward as a finalist at the respective national awards run by the Chartered Institute of Building and Local Authority Building Control.