Shanaz Gulzar, of Bradford 2025 said:
“The judging process for Beacon introduced us to a wide range of talented individuals and organisations and we were blown away by their presentations during the judging process. Carter Gregson Gray and their partners demonstrated detailed consideration to all areas of our brief, and we were particularly impressed by their approach for how we can minimise our sustainable impact during 2025. We look forward to working with the project team over the coming months to finalise the design and realising a physical space that we can use to transport all forms of culture to our local communities during our year as UK City of Culture.”
Tumpa Husna Yasmin Fellows, co-founder and director of Our Building Design and RIBA Architect Adviser for the competition said:
“The second phase of the competition facilitated five shortlisted teams to propose a design and methods for developing the Beacon performance venue. All of the teams demonstrated diverse and interesting design responses, addressing aspects of the client’s brief and ambition in design, materials and practice, that stimulate debate and unpacks the meaning of decolonising spatial design.
“The winning team’s response resonates most with the client’s ambition; with creative community engagement strategies to empower and create a sense of belonging, while proposing a meaningful legacy for the communities in Bradford. The spatial design proposes ways to decarbonise, resulting in leaving the site richer in biodiversity and creating micro forests at the locations of the travelling Beacon. The proposal also uniquely addresses the practical and complex aspects of designing an iconic travelling performance space for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.”