18 September 2007
Contact: Tessa Kordeczka, 020 7070 6769
Darlington Borough Council is to be presented with a plaque to mark the inclusion of Darlington Education Village in the shortlist for this year’s Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award.
Dame Dela Smith, Executive Director of the Darlington Education Village, will be presented with the award by CABE regional representative Stephen Stokoe at 11.00am on Friday 21 September. Media are invited to attend the presentation at Darlington Education Village, Salters Lane South, Darlington.
The education village, designed by RyderHKS Architects, is among 18 shortlisted entries competing for the Prime Minister’s Award. The award recognises new buildings, places and spaces that, through good design, have improved local public services, create a sense of community and local pride, and are helping to build a sustainable future.
The building is the UK’s first wholly integrated and inclusive school, bringing together primary, secondary, nursery and special educational needs in one campus, and is making an enormous contribution to other local schools and the wider community. Its design includes a number of impressive environmentally sustainable features including a wind turbine, grey water collection, solar panels and a computerised energy management system.
On behalf of CABE, Stephen Stokoe said:
‘Darlington Education Village is truly pioneering and strongly makes the case for including every stage of school education on a single site. It offers its 1,400 pupils everything from a fully equipped sports centre, music rooms, dance and drama studios and a performance hall to a multi-sensory room and soft play area for disabled children and a village green. It sets an admirably high standard for other educational facilities to emulate.’
Dame Dela Smith said:
‘We are very fortunate to have been provided with such outstanding facilities - designed and built around our own needs – for both students and the local community. This is vital to supporting our drive to raise standards so that all our children achieve their full potential. Since opening in 2006 we have received over 1,500 visitors wanting to look around and discuss the school’s design: the Education Village really is setting a benchmark.’
Now in its seventh year, the Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award recognises excellence in design quality and procurement practices of publicly funded building schemes. The 18 schemes shortlisted for this year’s award were drawn from 117 entries. The award is jointly sponsored by CABE and the Office of Government Commerce (OGC). It is part of the British Construction Industry Awards and the winner will be announced on 10 October.