The 'Very best of architecture'
23 November 2023
Stephen Taylor Court has been announced as winner of the AJ Architecture Award in the Housing category (£5m to £20m). AJ reports that “The judges were hugely impressed with all aspects of Stephen Taylor Court, a Passivhaus development of 84 homes for graduates, fellows and their families for King’s College, Cambridge.”
On every level, from site planning to detailing, it embedded the collective knowledge of the practice. It’s really well planned, well executed and well detailed. It is a ‘very confident’ building.
AJ Architecture Awards Judges
The judges also applauded the ‘simple and elegant’ arrangement and the attention paid to the quality of accommodation of both the cluster and individual flats, and the communal areas. They noted the project’s sympathy with its conservation area context, which is known for its Arts and Crafts houses. ‘They worked very cleverly with a minimal palette and made it speak to the surrounding street,’ they said.
The AJ Architecture Awards are among the most thorough in the industry. Every shortlisted building was visiting by a panel of judges, who rigorously assessed them against a wide range of criteria. These include design quality from use of materials and detailing to spatial ‘delight’, build quality, programme, user experience and contribution to their context or neighbourhood. In addition, assessing sustainability and building performance is key to the process, from an evaluation of the project’s whole-life carbon, to its approach to biodiversity and future adaptability.
Also shortlisted were Ulster University Belfast Campus in the Higher Education category and Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings in the Heritage category.