Architect teams shortlisted to design neighbourhood
Four teams of architects have been shortlisted to design an exemplary neighbourhood at the brownfield St George’s site in Wolverhampton city centre.
The recently launched design competition spearheaded by the City of Wolverhampton Council and social impact developers Capital&Centric, alongside the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), has had a lot of interest.
Eleven practices have been selected to form four teams advancing to the next stage.
Each team has eight weeks to create a visionary proposal for the site, tasked with creating an inclusive and sustainable neighbourhood that honours the city’s heritage and diversity.
The shortlisted teams include Ash Sakula, Turner Works and Archio (three practices), Henley Halebrown, Studio Weave and APPARATA (three practices) Metropolitan Workshop, Studio Bark and Mole (three practices) and Mikhail Riches and Periscope (two practices).
Angela Brady OBE, a former RIBA president, is overseeing the competition, advising the Council and a panel of judges on selecting the winning scheme.
Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader at the City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “This approach is about securing inspiring designs that set a new design benchmark for brownfield regeneration in Wolverhampton. The level of interest in the competition has been encouraging and we’re looking forward to seeing how the shortlisted teams interpret the brief.
“St George’s is a fantastic opportunity to create a game-changing neighbourhood of which the city can be proud. It’s a critical part of our citywide plan to unlock investment in considered development that delivers much-needed homes and new opportunities for our communities.”
Capital&Centric’s appointment for the scheme’s initial phase was announced by the City of Wolverhampton Council in December, with the first step involving the development of a masterplan for the former Sainsbury’s supermarket site, linked to the £61m City Learning Quarter set to open in 2025.
Martin Crews, development director at Capital&Centric, said: “The brilliant architect practices we’ve got on board all bring their specialisms to the party, so there’ll be a real melting pot of ideas that should lead to some exciting results. It’ll go a bit quiet for the next few weeks, whilst the teams get on with the challenge, but we’ll be back this spring to unveil the four designs and engage with the community about their aspirations for the St George’s site.”
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