The winners for 2016 AJ Retrofit Awards were Announced

The winners for 2016 AJ Retrofit Awards were announced at the annual retrofit dinner at the Brewery in east London in 14 September 2016,Allford Hall Monaghan Morris’ Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool was named the Retrofit of the Year.

AJ editor-in-chief Christine Murray commented: ‘The Retrofit Awards celebrate the exemplary remodelling of existing buildings to extend the life of the built environment. These projects breathe new life into our built heritage, showcase architectural ingenuity, and make significant energy savings while boosting building performance.

The full list of winners:

St Thomas’ Hospital: East Wing Recladding | Hopkins Architects

Jury comment, This scheme demonstrates clever holistic future-proofing where the client is getting a bang for their buck. It is an intelligent background solution which transforms a very average exterior into something rather good.

Type of project: Hospital
Location: London
Client: Essentia
Main contractor: ISG
Completion: January 2016
Project cost: £16 million

Royal Court Theatre | Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Jury comment ,This gutsy solution is a bold statement which rebrands the theatre and demonstrates confidence and an assertive quality that cities like Liverpool really need. The project was very professionally handled with a consistent resolution of detail, even though it looks very much ‘now’ and does not particularly respond to the existing theatre’s 1930s heritage.

Type of project: Theatre
Location: Liverpool
Client: Royal Court Theatre Trust
Main contractor: Mellwood Construction
Completed: February 2016
Project cost: £2.9 million

Wellcome Collection | WilkinsonEyre

Jury comment, The extraordinary stair unlocks the whole project and transforms the way the building functions, effectively meeting the client’s brief to entice visitors to the upper floors. The new reading room is one of the best places in London, along with the wonderful café.

Type of project: Museum
Location: London
Client: Wellcome Trust
Main contractor: Overbury
Completion: March 2015
Project cost: £17.5 million

Cockcroft Building | Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects

Jury comment, This is a bold project, particularly from a sustainability point of view – and a model for future similar projects. It focuses well on how people use the building. The exterior has been elegantly improved and the interior creatively revamped.

Type of project: University
Location: Brighton
Client: University of Brighton
Main contractor: Willmott Dixon
Completion: September 2015
Project cost: £20 million

GPO Witness History Interpretative Exhibition Centre | Kavanagh Tuite Architects

Jury comment, This is a sensitive and sympathetic intervention – particularly with regard to detailing and choice of materials. It performs well on energy efficiency and the contemporary approach improves and enhances the project.

Type of project: Museum
Location: Dublin
Client: An Post
Main contractor: PJ Hegarty and Sons
Completion: November 2015
Project cost: £7.8 million

Weston Library | WilkinsonEyre

Jury comment, An innovative approach to transforming an inwardly focused building into a welcoming library by creating an external colonnade which relates to the street and an internal light-filled court which immediately orients visitors to the building. Sensitive choice of material palette and services have been thoughtfully integrated.

Type of project: Library
Location: Oxford
Client: University of Oxford
Main contractor: MACE
Completion: March 2015
Project cost: £50 million

Christ Church Crypt | Dow Jones

Jury comment, Provocative new elements challenge the existing, though the materials defer, making the interventions on the right side of awkward. Very clear distinction between old and new is a strength of the design, while it also features a strong intervention which is nevertheless modest with a degree of underplay.

Type of project: Church
Location: London
Client: Christ Church Spitalfields
Main contractor: Coniston
Completion: November 2015
Project cost: £2.38 million

CP Hart Flagship Showroom | Morrow + Lorraine Architects

Jury comment, This is a strong and imaginative upgrade. The architects have used the volumes well to clearly add to the visitor shopping experience.

Type of project: Retail
Location: London
Client: CP Hart
Main contractor: Sunbeam Contract Works
Completion: November 2015
Project cost: £1.5 million

Merrydown | McLaren Excell

Jury comment, Despite a limited palette of materials, this is an imaginative scheme which increased the square meterage of the building by finding extra space beneath the roof structure and creating a suspended bedroom. Considering the budget, this was a fantastic result.

Type of project: House
Location: Wareham
Client: Private
Main contractor: David R White Building Services
Completion: June 2015
Project cost: £216,000

Brackenbury House | Neil Dusheiko Architects

Jury comment, This is a superb transformation, demonstrating a great use of rooflights and glass floors. Money has been spent in places which have made a significant difference to the architecture and things like the use of natural light, the re-use of brick and the passive systems approach are big ticks. In inner city London you crave the connection with outside space and this scheme achieves that.

Type of project: House
Location: London
Client: Private
Main contractor: Space Cube
Completion: June 2015
Project cost: £612,000

Bakery Place | Jo Cowen Architects

Jury comment, A scheme which was tough to pull off but achieved a sensitive restoration. The project added a new lightweight roof to the Victorian bakery buildings and hit all its numbers on U-values through great collaboration with the client.

Type of project: Housing
Location: London
Client: West Eleven
Main contractor: TC&D
Completion: May 2016
Project cost: £2.4 million

Littlewoods Bunker | ShedKM

Jury comment, A skillful reinvention of an awful building in an area in need of regeneration. The use of natural light and skillful organisation creates useable and flexible space. The building shows great use of colour and re-use of a robust concrete frame.

Type of project: Office
Location: Liverpool
Client: Capital and Centric
Main contractor: Artez
Completion: April 2015

Project cost: £2.4 million

C-Space | BuckleyGrayYeoman

Jury comment, The transformation of a modest light industrial space into an open and welcoming office. The cost-effective creation of attractive public space has enhanced the public realm. The cut into the ground floor floorplate was well thought-through and the detail well executed.

Type of project: Office
Location: London
Client: Helical Bar
Main contractor: Willmott Dixon
Completion: December 2015

Swanlea Sixth Form | London Borough of Tower Hamlets Architects

Jury comment, The original building might have been demolished, but instead the council chose to save it, showing an understanding of the value of the original structure. The building was ingeniously retained and over-insulated and clad, while the extension makes a great contribution to the urban environment.

Type of project: School
Location: London
Client: London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Main contractor: IMS Building Solutions
Completion: April 2015
Project cost: Undisclosed

Crouch End Picturehouse | Panter Hudspith Architects

Jury comment, This is a total transformation of an average office block, which gives the building a new lease of life. The ground floor changes are particularly strong, and there is a good integration of graphics and art – in all, a careful, efficient intervention.

Type of project: cinema
Location: London
Client: Picturehouse Cinemas
Main contractor :Phelans Construction
Completion: November 2015

Projectcost: £4.5 million

Project Hamlet, Barclays, Canary Wharf | Cool-Therm

Jury comment, This product replaces old inefficiency with new efficiency – it’s a sustainable retrofit model.