The annual awards, held in association with English Heritage and the Victorian Society, aim to recognise pubs that 'demonstrate imagination, vision and a level of restraint in their design'.
“The aim of CAMRA’s Pub Design Awards scheme is to encourage high standards of architectural design in the refurbishment and conservation of existing public houses and in the construction of the new. With particular relevance to the present day, the aim of the Pub Design Awards is to stimulate interest and awareness in the many diverse factors that contribute to the unique character of the British pub as an institution,” says CAMRA.
Entries are being sought from pubs anywhere in the British Isles that have had design work completed during 2010.
The four award categories are:
- New Build Pub. This category is for entirely new built pubs. “The judges look for a number of details when judging the worth of any new establishment. The pub might reflect pubs of the past but without becoming a mere pastiche of Edwardian, Victorian or even Georgian artifacts. Or it could be completely modern, using materials of the 20th or 21st century,” says CAMRA.
- Conversion to Pub Use This is where an existing building is converted to pub use. Pubs will be judged on “the taste and restraint” used on both the outside and inside of the pub.
- Refurbished pub. “Refurbishment can range from a complete gutting to replace what was crass and in bad taste with something far better to an enhancement of what was originally there. Refurbishment should suit the individual pub and not be an excuse to use uniform furnishings to brand the pub with brewery or pub company's image.”
- CAMRA / English Heritage Conservation award. CAMRA says: “This award, sponsored by English Heritage, is usually given for work on a pub which conserves what is good in the pub, makes good some of the crass refurbishment efforts of the past and ensures that the fabric of the place will survive for further generations of pub goers and drinkers to enjoy.”
Applications
Entries or recommendations can be made until 30 September 2011. Entry forms can be downloaded here and should then be e-mailed to jon.howard’at’camra.org.uk.
The 2011 Awards will be judged by the regular panel of architects, authors, historians and heritage experts.
Last year’s winners, announced last month, can be found here.