NEWS AT KRITERION

July 2010

Derry~Londonderry wins its bid to be City of Culture
Derry~Londonderry has made history after winning its bid to be the first ever UK City of Culture in 2013.  At 7:30pm on 15 July 2010 it was announced that Northern Ireland’s maiden city had won the judging panel’s vote, over the three other shortlisted cities Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield to take the prestigious title. 
The momentous win means that in 2013 Derry~Londonderry will play host to a year-long celebration of culture in the city, opening its doors to visitors from across the world.  Our office at Queen Street in the city is looking forward to being part of the celebrations.
The historic announcement was made at the Pier Head Ferry Terminal building in Liverpool, designed by Hamilton Architects.

Derry~Londonderry bids for City of Culture
Derry~Londonderry has submitted its bid to be the UK City of Culture 2013.  It is one of four cities along with Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield, which were chosen by an independent judging panel taken from a shortlist of 14 bidders at the end of last year.
The level of support and goodwill from the people of all ages and backgrounds has been tremendous.  Winning the City of Culture title would be an immense boost to the city and Northern Ireland in general, and would further develop the city’s strong cultural base whilst also bringing economic and social benefits.
The winner is due to be announced in the summer.

Restoration of Derry Cathedral Primary School to go ahead
The restoration of the Cathedral Primary School in London Street is finally going ahead thanks to an £832,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Cresco Trust has appointed Kriterion Conservation Architects based in the city to carry out the restoration works on the Grade B1 listed Victorian schoolhouse which will provide new facilities for the whole community and be a great asset to the city.
The school is an attractive red brick building with sandstone dressings and retains many of its original internal features which will be sympathetically restored, respecting the building’s history, layout and form.  When fully restored and opened up it will provide a venue for cultural and heritage tourism and will create training, education and employment opportunities.
The Shoreditch Trust, an award winning London based charitable regeneration agency (renowned for their partnership with Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurants), has been secured as a tenant and will open a restaurant and training facility, providing up to 35 apprenticeships each year for local people interested in pursuing a career in the catering industry.   
This project will bring this historic building back to life providing opportunities for local people to engage with their heritage. It will compliment the strategies of the Public Realm Plan, ILEX Physical Regeneration Strategy, and Derry City Council Development Strategy. The project will also play a part in the Derry~Londonderry Candidate City, UK City of Culture 2013.

Cathedral School, London Street, elevation as viewed through New Gate

Cathedral School, London Street entrance - radiused front entrance door set into recessed and moulded decorated brickwork

REDEVELOPMENT OF ARMAGH GAOL
Kriterion Conservation Architects have been appointed by The Osborne Group as conservation architects and designers to redevelop Armagh Gaol.
This commission involves the restoration and regeneration of the complete gaol site to include conversion of the significant listed buildings to provide a destination hotel and associated tourism development accommodation, providing a new sustainable use for the vacant buildings whilst also preserving the Gaol’s architectural integrity and historic importance. The conservation works will include retention of details of heritage merit and careful detailing of alterations and insertions.
Armagh Gaol, a Grade B+ listed building located within the Armagh Conservation Area, is one of Northern Ireland’s most important historic buildings The Osborne Group and the Prince’s Regeneration Trust were selected by Armagh District Council earlier this year to start developing proposals for its regeneration. The Osborne Group has previously transformed Oxford Gaol into the critically acclaimed and award winning Malmaison hotel.
The site is a flagship project of great importance to the City's continued growth over the next decade and will give the Gaol a new lease of life whilst greatly benefiting the local community and enhancing the tourism industry in Armagh and N.Ireland as a whole.

WINNER OF THE KRITERION CONSERVATION ARCHITECTS’ RUA PRESIDENT'S PRIZE
Christina Bunello was awarded the Kriterion Conservation Architects’ RUA President’s Prize of £500, for the best work by a fulltime student, at the official opening of the 128th Annual Exhibition on 1 October in The Northern Bank, Donegall Street, Belfast.
Christina’s oil on linen painting will be on display at the exhibition during October. This is the third year Kriterion Conservation Architects have sponsored the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts.

Kriterion Conservation Architects RUA Presidents Prize
For the third year running, Kriterion Conservation Architects’ are supporting the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts by sponsoring the ‘Kriterion Conservation Architects RUA Presidents Prize’.
The prize, valued at £500, will be awarded to the full time RUA student who presents the best work in the year. The winning student will be announced at the official opening of the 128th RUA Annual Exhibition in the Northern Bank on 1 October 2009. The RUA will host a varied and dynamic show reflecting the best in contemporary and traditional visual arts practice in 2009.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURES DISCOVERED AT ANTRIM COURTHOUSE
Kriterion Conservation Architects are currently working on the refurbishment of The Old Antrim Courthouse, a Grade A listed building, where an archaeological investigation recently uncovered historical treasures.
An Irish copper halfpenny coin was uncovered below the ground floor. The coin, although badly corroded, is from the William and Mary period dating back to circa 1962-4. It has the heads of both William and Mary on the front and the reverse has the Irish harp under a Crown.
The Cannonball, likely to be 17th Century, is made of iron with roughly one quarter missing which suggests that it was used and damaged after firing. It is 9cm in diameter and would have roughly weighed 6lbs when complete.
The Old Courthouse was built in 1726 by the Grand Jury and is the oldest remaining courthouse in Northern Ireland. It was in use as a courthouse until 1994 but has been disused since then. It is currently being repaired and refurbished to house a multi-purpose performance space within the former court room and a gallery, cafe and information centre on the ground floor in what was originally an open arcaded market place.

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