Whitburn's 'Tardis-like' building scoops prestigious architectural award

With its floor to ceiling windows offering vistas of the North Sea, the centre, which opened in the shadow of Souter Lighthouse in January 2024, is a space where community groups and visitors can learn more about the wildlife, landscape and history of the coast and plays a key role in delivering the aims of the SeaScapes Partnership.

Presented since 1966, the RIBA Awards set the standard for great architecture across the country, with the regional awards feeding into the national accolade.

The four regional winners announced at a ceremony on May 29 are: Ad Gefrin Anglo Saxon Museum and Distillery in Wooler, Northumberland; Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre; Rocket House holiday home in Northumberland and Farrell Centre, a Grade II l-isted former department store on the edge of Newcastle University campus.

Designed by MawsonKerr Architects, Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre is described as being built on a challenging coastal site, its “Tardis-like” building providing a “calming” respite from the bracing North Sea.

RIBA North East Jury Chair, Amy Waite, Associate Director at Mikhail Riches, said: "Congratulations to all the winners of this year's North East Awards. A diverse range of projects, they demonstrate the remarkable impact of great architecture.

“From a transformed former department store and a carefully conserved micro-holiday home to a rural distillery and a coastal conservation centre, each are a testament to the skills and collaboration of everyone involved."

RIBA North East Award winners will now be considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 10 July.

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.