Winners of the 2024 Michelmores Property Awards revealed

The 21st Michelmores Property Awards were held on Thursday 27 June 2024 with a glittering awards ceremony and gala dinner at Sandy Park Conference Centre in Exeter. The evening was hosted by well-known actor, comedian and regular face on TV, Lucy Porter, and celebrated outstanding property and construction projects in the South West across eleven categories.

This year, the sector embraced sustainability not just in the development of new low carbon buildings, but by innovations in the approach to refurbishing and repurposing older stock. Michelmores launched a new award category – ‘Regeneration Project of the Year’, to recognise the growing number of refurbishment schemes taking place.

Taking home the prize for this esteemed new category was Neighbourhood North. Located in the heart of Bristol, this 1980s building was transformed to a headquarter office building with a BREEAM outstanding rating, demonstrating that the retrofit and delivery of state-of-the-art office space is both compatible and commercially attractive. The regeneration created a less cluttered façade and contemporary appearance, while retaining a large portion of the building’s original brickwork and glazing. This resulted in approximately 163 tonnes of CO2 savings, achieving 31% lower embodied carbon than the RIBA 2030 target and 28% lower upfront carbon.

Winterstoke Hundred Academy in Weston-super-Mare took home the prestigious Building of the Year award in addition to scooping the Education Project of the Year accolade. The judges were extremely impressed with this thoughtful building, designed inside and out with natural materials and natural light. Every space at the Academy was designed to be multi-use and the standout main corridor is set up to host events for the school, offering long views through the beautiful building. Continuing the sustainability theme, the Academy is Net Zero carbon in operation and, as well as ensuring that biodiversity and retained habitats were protected, the project team worked with an ecological consultancy to develop an innovative BNG solution as part of a complex greenfield project, and suite of educational engagement activities.

Further south in Somerset, the North Taunton Woolaway Project won the award for Residential Project of the Year (36 homes and over) while further north, Sladebrook Road in Bath took home the award for Residential Project of the Year (35 homes and under). North Taunton Woolaway was praised for being an ambitious regeneration project that supports growth within the local economy and offers health, environmental and employment opportunities, while the council-led development provides homes of exceptionally high-quality, setting the standard for other local authorities and the private sector.

Sladebrook Road is a neighbourhood of nine low energy family homes in the heart of Bath. The project was applauded for creatively delivering a compact layout that the judges thought responded sensitively, yet playfully, to the local context, streetscape and topography whilst knitting into the existing neighbourhood.

Two new health facilities were acclaimed for their state-of-the-art medical provision and importance to the community. The winner of the Project of the Year Award (under £5m) was named as the Dartmouth Health and Wellbeing Centre in Devon, while the Lowen Ward and Trelawney Scanning Suite in Cornwall was awarded the Project of the Year Award (over £5m). Dartmouth’s Health and Wellbeing Centre was praised for its benefit to the residents of Dartmouth – the careful space planning and colocation of the wellbeing facility ensured that patients continue to receive the care they desperately needed in their community. The Lowen Ward and Trelawney Scanning Suite comprises three MRI suites, an ultrasound imaging suite, Haematology Oncology provisions, and more. The judges were particularly impressed that the project completed six weeks earlier than originally programmed, with patients being located into the facilities the next day, highlighting the extreme need for its presence in the community.

Although not a winner, this year the judging panel also wanted to give credit to the Merrivale Road project in Plymouth awarding the much-needed development Highly Commended in the Residential Project of the Year (35 homes and under) category. Plymouth City Council transformed this disused building into self-contained flats for young people leaving care who are ready to live more independently. The accommodation has a 24-hour staff presence to offer guidance to the young people so that they are supported but managing their own homes. The future-proofing and considerate detail of the regeneration were said to be remarkable. The judges felt that the project would drive change in the area as well as serving an invaluable purpose with strong social benefits.

Larkstone Watersports Hub in Ilfracombe took home the prize for the Leisure and Tourism Project of the Year, for being an incredibly well thought-through project, offering improved access for watersports activities that provide social and economic benefits for the local community and wider tourism. The Hub, which now offers canoe club facilities, boat storage and a destination café, revitalised an area in need of regeneration in a unique and sensitive location.

The Heritage Project of the Year award went to Bayspace in St Ives. The sensitive refurbishment of this important and imposing Grade II listed building in St Ives brought a neglected building back to life while offering an important facility for the town and wider West Cornwall community. With sustainability as its key driver, the judges appreciated that many of the features included renewable and recycled fixtures as well as a minimal intervention approach to restoration and a carbon-conscious approach to specification.

Representing masterplanning in its true essence, Collaton Park scooped up the award for Masterplanning for the Future, due to its impressive inclusion of a community parkland café with public showers and WC’s as well as a vast area of allotments and orchards. The Collaton Park scheme of 125 homes also boasted additional sustainability measures that impressed the judging panel, including PV, EV charging points and air source heat pumps for every home.

Peter Lacey, who’s exemplary career has ranged far wider than architecture, was awarded this year’s John Laurence Special Contribution Award. He was recognised by the judges for having always placed social values very highly, particularly in the field of education, and for being a great advocate for the business and economic growth of the City of Exeter.

As always, the 21st Michelmores Property Awards, brought together all those who contribute to the region’s exciting property, real estate and construction sectors. The Awards have long championed sustainability and innovation, and place environmental and socio-economic values at the heart of its judging criteria.

Of this year’s Awards, Emma Honey, Head of Property at Michelmores said: “We are so proud to continue to host this exciting event that celebrates outstanding property and construction projects across the South West. The last few years have brought with them a flurry of innovation in the sector, with industry leaders showing creativity to rethink and reimagine a better future for the industry, and our communities. The popularity of our new category, Regeneration Project of the Year, demonstrates this and shows just how much interest there is in the sector in supporting a low carbon future.

For more information on the Awards, visit our website.