Barbara Hepworth Building wins at Education Estates awards

The University of Huddersfield’s Barbara Hepworth Building has been named as the Project of the Year at the prestigious Education Estates awards.

The eye-catching home of the School of Art, Design and Architecture won Project of the Year (Colleges and Universities) from the awards that are partnered with the Department for Education. 

And the University also performed excellently elsewhere at the awards, with Sovereign Design House winning a Highly Commended in the Refurbishment of the Year category.

The Barbara Hepworth Building was completed in 2019, and features a dramatic flying cantilever design that has seen it quickly become a local landmark. Built on a sloping, canal side location that required a great deal of work prior to the building’s construction began, it has already won several awards including Constructing Excellence’s Building Project of the Year in 2019.

The University’s Acting Director of Estates and Facilities Tim Hosker commented, “We are proud of what we have created, embodying the town and looking aspiringly to the future, establishing Huddersfield as a premier design destination, made possible through the intuitive design of this exemplary facility.”

Main photo courtesy of Morgan Sindall

Sovereign Design House is a former bath house for foundry workers, built in the 1950s on land adjacent to the Barbara Hepworth Building. It re-opened as a café, exhibition space and gallery earlier in 2020 following a restoration project that, like its neighbour, also involved partners in construction firm Morgan Sindall and architects AHR.

"The Sovereign Design House is fantastic addition to the University's facilities and exhibition spaces," said Nic Clear, Dean of the School of Art, Design and Architecture. "This beautifully developed project has preserved a unique building from Huddersfield’s industrial past by keeping exterior intact and retaining features from its original function as a factory bath house.

"It provides a vibrant public café and a gallery space that will help the School of Art, Design and Architecture showcase student and staff work, as well as providing an exciting opportunity to exhibit work from nationally and internationally recognised artists and designers."