Beacon of Light wins Civic Trust double
Beacon of Light has received a highly prestigious Civic Trust Award as well as the Special Award for Community Impact & Engagement - presented to an exemplar scheme where community engagement has helped deliver the highest standards of design, whilst meeting the needs of local people.
Established in 1959, the Civic Trust Awards recognise the very best in architecture, design, planning, landscape and public art. Awards are given to projects that demonstrate high quality architecture or design, have demonstrated sustainability, are accessible to all users, and have made a positive cultural, social or economic contribution to the local community.
The first of its kind in the UK, Beacon of Light is a unique centre for the Foundation of Light—consisting of engaging and interactive zones in education; health and fitness; sport and play; and the world of work—born from the Foundation’s pledge to combat reported shortcomings in the region’s education, health and employment skills. Through its work here, it is predicted that the Foundation will generate up to £73m worth of social return-on-investment over the next twenty years.
Praising the building, the judges remarked: “This is a truly exceptional building in the clarity and apparent simplicity with which it delivers its very challenging operational aspirations.”
“The project has resulted in a high quality, successful community environment which has brought both economic growth and vibrancy to the area which reflects the needs of the local population.”
“An outstanding achievement of the building is how it manages to marry together so many different facilities and services cohesively and successfully whilst providing an inclusive accessible environment for all.”
This is the second time in four years that we have accepted this same double award from the Civic Trust, having achieved the feat in 2016 with Hebburn Central, a community facility instrumental in the regeneration of Hebburn town centre.
Paul Richardson, Partner at FaulknerBrowns, said: “We are very proud to see the Beacon of Light receive a Civic Trust Award and the Special Award for Community Impact and Engagement. The entire project team and especially the Foundation of Light hugely deserve this recognition for the incredible impact the building is having on Sunderland and the wider region. From a personal perspective, it is fantastic to see our work being recognised once again on the national stage for its social contribution and the engagement of local communities in the design process.”
