Two wins at North East RICS UK Awards 2024
Two projects which Desco designed the MEP services for won their categories at the North East RICS UK Awards 2024.
Morpeth Leisure Centre and the Viking Energy Network, Jarrow (VENJ) were both crowned winners at the regional awards, which celebrate inspirational initiatives and developments in land, real estate, construction, and infrastructure, as well as recognising the outstanding achievement, teamwork and companies involved.
Morpeth Leisure Centre, which won the Community Benefit award, was designed pre-Covid and delivered during lockdown which saw the team face supply chain issues and an impending recession. The finished centre which features a gym, swimming pools, spa, studios, sports hall, soft play, a café, council customer services, Northumberland Skills’ learning centre and library shows how sports and leisure centres can support the high street and benefit the local community in different ways.
The community benefit award recognises the benefit the facility provides to its local community by illustrating its success through local community feedback with diversity and inclusion embedded throughout.
The VENJ, which won the Public Sector award, is a cutting-edge renewable energy scheme which produces energy for local council owned buildings through three renewable energy sources, water source heat pumps, gas-fired combined heat and power and solar power. The combination of the three, provides power to nine buildings run by South Tyneside Council including, Jarrow Focus Leisure Centre, three residential tower blocks, Jarrow Business Centre, and Jarrow Town Hall.
The Public Sector award celebrates exceptional public sector projects.
The national UK awards will take place in October, which will see Morpeth Leisure Centre and VENJ compete, having won in the regional awards.
The team behind Morpeth Leisure Centre was GT3 Architects, Henry Riley LLP, Advance Northumberland, Desco and BuroHappold Engineering.
The team behind VENJ was Architectural Base Consultancy, Thornton-Firkin LLP, Border Design Consultants LLP, Desco and South Tyneside Council.