Ordsall Chord wins RIBA National Award

Ordsall Chord in Manchester has won a RIBA National Award. The project, which was one of 54 national winners, will now be considered for the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist.

The RIBA Nationals celebrate the best buildings in the UK, recognising innovation and a project’s contribution to architecture.

The judges said, “This project comprises a series of viaducts, bridges and public spaces that link rail services across northern England to provide new routes for passengers and unlock bottlenecks in the system. The final project brings local delight with the striking form of the new river bridge and a strong identity through its materiality and consistent detailing.

The architect’s challenge was to create a series of cohesive places with an overriding requirement to clear the path for the new rail route. The site has significant historical importance, intersecting George Stephenson’s pioneering Liverpool to Manchester railway. The original structures have been carefully restored and new public areas created adjacent to them to celebrate their character and importance, creating accessible and versatile urban spaces.

The application of concept through to detail is consistently high. Each element and space touched by the project has been carefully considered. What could have been mundane has been lifted by the application of thoughtful strategy, consistent design language and a care in detailing that responds to the context of each element."

Ordsall Chord has already won a number of top design awards including British Construction Industry, RICS, Civic Trust, Structural Steel, ICE, Architects’ Journal and Royal Academy of Engineering. The Ordsall Chord design team, which also includes WSP, Mott MacDonald, AECOM, Knight Architects and Severfield, was also a finalist in this year’s AJ100 Collaboration of the Year Award.