Buildings praised at Renaissance Awards

Judges for RICS North East Renaissance Awards praised Greenland Primary School in Stanley, the Redcar and Cleveland Leisure and Community Heart in Redcar, and the Measurement Technology Centre in Billingham for their inspirational work in land, property and construction.

Greenland Primary School won the Community Benefit award for its success in forging strong links with the wider community, opening its facilities to local organisations and supporting the rehabilitation of young offenders through its work with the Stanley Area Action Programme.

The Redcar and Cleveland Leisure and Community Heart won the Regeneration accolade, thanks to its first-class leisure facilities, including a state-of-the-art gym, sports hall and swimming pool.

The Measurement Technology Centre, owned by industrial technology company Tracero, won the Design through Innovation award for transforming working practices, encouraging young people to pursue work in the region, and speeding up the firm’s manufacturing process in just six months.

Other winners included The Black Barn in Hexham, Monument Hall in Newcastle, the Morpeth Flooding Alleviation Scheme, Hexham Abbey in Hexham, and The Rise (new build homes) in Scotswood.

Judging panel chairman Adam Serfontein said: “The standard of entries this year was phenomenal, so our panel had an extremely tough job selecting the shortlist, let alone the winners.

“Whilst the winners and those that have been highly commended range from small scale pioneering schemes, through to multi million pound developments, they all share an unwavering commitment and ability to add real value to the communities that they serve.

“This is a fantastic achievement and something which the teams behind the projects should be immensely proud of.”

Five of the winners will now automatically be entered into the national RICS Awards, where they will compete against other leading projects from across the UK later this year.