Hawkins\Brown named as finalist in Cronton Colliery competition

RIBA’s Cronton Colliery Competition, which aims to transform Cronton Colliery into a new visitor attraction on Merseyside, will be decided on Thursday 19th April 2012.

Cronton colliery was mined between 1915 until 1984. The 43 hectare site has been derelict for almost 30 years with numerous attempts to restore the colliery. The site has now been allocated for public access land with the aim to improve local biodiversity; establish sustainable, low-maintenance native plant communities; and encourage natural wildlife habitats.

The Land Trust and the RIBA launched the global competition to design a pioneering new visitor destination and push the boundaries of landscape and architecture.

Explaining the competition, the Land Trust’s chief executive Euan Hall commented, “The former Cronton Colliery is a fabulous space that has the very real potential to become a magnificent 21st century visitordestination for the North West. By working with RIBA Competitions on this we are hoping to change the way design teams create schemes inthe future. We believe that open spaces have the potential to be the catalyst for change and can impact far more than just the environment”. 

The finalist’s, HASSELL, Hawkins\Brown, Michael Lee Architects and Edward Architecture & Matthew Riley, and highly commended schemes are on display at the Leeds Design and Innovation Centre until Thursday 3rd May 2012. The winner will be revealed on Thursday 19th April 2012. We will keep you posted on the results.

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