Sunderland's Fire Station scoops prestigious RIBA award for architecture
The Fire Station has been recognised for its ‘exceptional design.’
Sunderland’s Fire Station venue has been given a prestigious RIBA Award, which recognises great architecture across the country.
The building has become a cornerstone of the city’s culture quarter since opening in December 2021, bringing a varied programme of entertainment to the city.
Once the site of a little used car park, the £11million state-of-the-art auditorium was built onto the side of the existing Fire Station arts venue, with top grade acoustics to showcase local talent, as well as international artists.
A mid-size venue which bridges the gap in the city between larger venues such as the Stadium, the Empire and The Point and smaller venues such as Independent, it holds 800 people standing and 550 seated for a broad range of music, comedy, theatre, dance and more.
Now, it’s been named as RIBA North East Client of the Year 2024 in the annual awards by Royal Institute of British Architects.
It’s one of four North East buildings honoured in the round of regional awards. The others being: Auckland Castle, Tower and Faith Museum named as RIBA North East Building of the Year 2024; Percy Cottage in Northumberland (Alex Maxwell-Davies) named as RIBA North East Project Architect of the Year 2024 and Raven Tower in Northumberland named as RIBA North East Small Project of the Year 2024.
The Fire Station was designed by Flanagan Lawrence Architects, with design director Jason Flanagan also responsible for the iconic Sage Gateshead during his time at Foster and Partners. The design was brought to life by Sunderland construction firm Brims with Howarth Litchfield Architects acting as delivery architects during the build.
A decade ago, Paul Callaghan, chair of the MAC Trust, took on the 1907 Fire Station site, which had been forgotten for years, with the bold vision of improving life for the people of Sunderland through culture.
He gave new life to the original Fire Station building which houses the Engine Room bistro as well as creative space upstairs, with the new build auditorium sharing an entrance.
RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki, said: “This year’s RIBA Award winning schemes showcase the true value of quality architecture, and the positive impact it has on people’s lives.
“While carefully considering the needs of the environment, these truly remarkable places and spaces deliver for communities, for residents, for visitors, and people of all ages up and down the country. They are pinnacles of design excellence, and show what can be achieved when architects and clients collaborate successfully.”
RIBA North East Jury Chair, Emily Posey said: “From Pele Towers to Siege Towers this year’s RIBA North East winners delivered historical conceptual responses to the briefs in varying scales, from small interventions to generous public offerings, heeding the local histories of the area in a playful style.
“The use of local materials and craftsmanship was a common thread in the projects, demonstrating that well-crafted design can be achieved at any scale. Each project found its own way to add tactility and joyful moments to the architectural experience, enriching their locality whether for visitors, local communities, or domestic life.”
RIBA North East Award 2024 winners will now be considered for a highly-coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on July 11.
The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.