Burlington Danes School Wins Environment Award
While Council Wins the Wooden Spoon!
The Hammersmith Society has presented its Environment Award to new buildings at Burlington Danes School, Wood Lane in Shepherd's Bush.
The society says: " The committee were highly impressed by the quality of the design of the two new buildings, and the attention to detail, which means they fit very well with the original 1930s buildings, designed by Sir John Burnet, architect of the Royal Masonic Hospital."
In about 2000, an initial extension was added to the rear of the main building but more recently a series of further buildings have been added. These extensions form a campus for what is now the Burlington Danes Academy. They have been phased over about five years, and the last part of the jigsaw – name Thee Dennis Potter wing as he was a former pupil- has only just been completed and is being fitted out now, and will be formally opened in June.
The society's Conservation Award went to the restored St Paul’s Church on Hammersmith Broadway.
The society says: " After years of concealment under shrouds and the scaffolding, at the end of last year a beautifully clean and restored church was revealed.
" The committee praised the exceptional quality of the
restoration work, and said it was like having an old friend returned to the community."
The society says the committee did regret that there is still an irritating advertising hoarding facing the Broadway, and new construction hoardings have gone up around St Paul’s Green to allow the building of the new extension at the western end, but these are both temporary drawbacks.
As well as they very positive awards, the Hammersmith Society has also given out his feared Wooden Spoon Awards, for the ones that got it all wrong.
The first Wooden Spoon, for the second year running, went to Hammersmith and Fulham Council for its policy on Advertising Hoardings.
Last year, the society awarded a Wooden Spoon to the Council for its advertising hoarding beside the A4 which obliterates the view of the Ark from the flyover, and for allowing the extended advertising on St Paul’s Church and to the Apollo, not to mention the introduction of street banners.
The society says: " Since then, things have gone from bad to worse. The real new horrors are the two Towers beside the flyover which appeared over the last winter.
"
These towers are not only enormous, but they grow out of the ground below and these digital
images are so appallingly bright as to be not only offensive to passersby and a possible distraction to
motorists, but the light pollution also causes distress to nearby local residents.
" The Committee asked
whether this is really the way we want to introduce people to the Borough of Hammersmith?"
The second Wooden Spoon also goes to the Council for allowing the use of a large area on
Shepherds Bush Green to be used as a compound in connection with the renewal of Gas Pipes in the
adjoining streets, which is ugly and unsightly and ignores the fact that Shepherds Bush is "Common Land".
The awards were unveiled at the society's annual meeting, held at the offices of architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands at 22 St Peter's Square - itself a former award winner.
The Hammersmith Society's Environment Awards have now been running for 21 years. The Chair of the Hammersmith Society, Melanie Whitlock – who introduced the award scheme in 1989 - says: " It is all about widening interest in architecture, and increasing people’s awareness of their townscape.
" I would like to think that people might see the nominated entries in the paper, and next time they have a free afternoon go for a walk or bike ride round Hammersmith and see for themselves what they are like."
Here is the full list of nominations for the Environment Awards:
St Paul’s Church, Hammersmith Broadway
Burlington Danes Academy, Wood Lane
Housing on the north side of Uxbridge Road opposite Coningham Road
New Central Line Station at Shepherds Bush/Westfield
New Shepherds Bush Library Building: Westfield, Wood Lane
Tesco Express frontage, Uxbridge Road
Housing on the Former Prestolite Site – Now called ‘The Factory Quarter’ on Larden Road
Housing at 731-761 Harrow Road
St Stephen’s Church – Church Hall annexe – Coverdale Road
St Stephen’s Church – Nursery School, Coverdale Road
