Leicester Castle Business School has been shortlisted an impressive three times in the largest business-to-business awards in the UK.
The Grade I listed building at the heart of the De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) campus has once again had its building excellence recognised by being shortlisted as a finalist for three awards.
It is in the running for three separate awards at this year’s Local Authority Building Control (LABC) East Midlands Building Excellence Awards.
Leicester Castle Business School is up for Best Change of Use of an Existing Building or Conservation, Best Inclusive Building, and Best Educational Building.
The 2018 awards saw tough competition from entries across the East Midlands region submitted by surveyors, builders, architects, designers and others involved in construction projects.
The awards, which deliver building control through local authorities across the country, aim to help building projects gain recognition and reward construction teams for their excellent work.
The panel of judges who reviewed and shortlisted the DMU building were looking for construction achievements that went the extra mile. This included compliance with building regulations, outstanding craftsmanship, sustainability and technical innovation.
It is the latest in a long line of regional and national recognitions for Leicester Castle Business School – and DMU’s multi-million campus transformation as a whole.
Umesh Desai, Director of Estates and Commercial Services at DMU, said it was an excellent achievement for DMU and its construction partners to be recognised in this way.
He said: “This is fantastic news, upgrading this historic building to comply with the latest standards was always going to be a challenge.
“So to be shortlisted for not one, but three categories by the regional LABC is a real testament to the overall success of this project”.
Castle Hall was built in 1150 to serve the Leicester Castle complex, before being used as a court of law for more than 700 years. DMU then leased the building and spent more than £4.2 million transforming it for teaching and learning, incorporating modern lecture and events rooms within the two original courtrooms.
The regional winners of the LABC Regional Building Excellence Awards will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony at Athena in Leicester on Friday, July 6.
All the winners from the 12 regions will then go on to the Grand Finals, which take place at the Westminster Park Plaza in London on Friday, November 9 and attracts over 700 guests.
These LABC shortlistings come after the Vijay Patel Building was named the best educational building in last year’s LABC Awards.
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The university’s long-term masterplan, built around a vision to re-connect the city centre to the River Soar, has also received high praise from the industry, students, staff and visitors alike.
DMU was honoured at the 15th Annual ProCon Awards for Leicestershire. The Vijay Patel Building won the Large Non-Residential Scheme of the Year category, while the transformation of Mill Lane scooped the Small Non-Residential Scheme of the Year. The Vijay Patel Building has also recently been named as the city’s best new building by the Leicester Civic Society.
Castle Hall, the Vijay Patel Building and the Mill Lane transformation have received a total of six nominations in the East Midlands regional awards by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Castle Hall and the Vijay Patel Building have also been shortlisted in the East Midlands Regional Awards organised by leading professional body, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Posted on Monday 14 May 2018