Freeman’s Reach named Civic Trust Awards finalist
Freeman’s Reach, a £30 million office-led mixed-use development at the heart of Durham city centre, has been announced as a regional finalist for the 2017 Civic Trust Awards.
The awards were established in 1959 to 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 Freeman’s Reach site creates a key gateway to the Durham Cathedral UNESCO World Heritage Site and a new arrival point for visitors to the city. The development regenerates a key site on the riverside and is now home to National Savings & Investments and Her Majesty’s Passport Office.
The site masterplan also includes a restaurant, public realm and infrastructure, including a hydro turbine, which provides 75% of the development’s energy requirements.
As a regional finalist the scheme will now be assessed by a national panel of judges and considered for a National Civic Trust Award, with the winners announced later in the year.
