Four North East projects have been shortlisted for regional architecture awards with the winners set to be announced this spring.

The renovation of Auckland Castle, Towe and Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland, and conversion of Sunderland's Fire Station music and art venue are among the project shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) North East Awards this year.

The Faith Museum, which opened in Octber last year, is the most recent of the wider restoration and redevelopment of The Auckland Project. It features rarely seen objects, national treasures, personal testimonies and contemporary.

Sunderland’s £12m Fire Station Auditorium opened in December 2021. The auditorium can seat nearly 500, or host 800 standing, has a stage that can flex from six to 12 metres deep and has state-of-the-art acoustics.

The Northern Echo: From left to right: Auckland Castle, Tower and Faith Museum © House of Hues; Raven Tower © Jack

They are joined on the shortlist by Percy Cottage and Raven Tower, both located in Northumberland.

RIBA North East jury chair, Emily Posey, associate of Eric Parry Architects, said each of the developments have contributed positively to the region.

She said: “This year’s shortlisted projects are playful in their creative use of design interventions.

“Covering a range of typologies, these buildings have all made a positive contribution to their North East locality: whether socially, environmentally or through clear concept and materiality combined. “The challenges of the brief have been met with unique responses, while bringing joy to the architectural process and end user experience.”

These projects will all be visited by a regional jury as part of the judging process, and the winning projects will be announced later this spring.  

Most read:

Grab our digital subscription for £5 for 5 months and stay connected with local happenings. Click here

The winners will then be considered for several RIBA Special Awards, including the RIBA Sustainability Award and RIBA Building of the Year, before being considered for a RIBA National Award, which will be announced in the summer.  

The shortlist for the UK’s best new building award, RIBA’s Stirling Prize, will be drafted from the national award winners and announced in September.

The Stirling Prize winner will be announced in October.