Transformation of historic York convent wins another award for Northminster and its design team
DESIGNS ON SUCCESS: Pictured (L to R) at St Joseph’s Convent are: Northminster Ltd development surveyor, Alastair Gill; Mesh Architects director, Ian Collins; Northminster Ltd managing director, George Burgess; LHL Group managing director, Richard Hampshire and Rachel McLane Ltd design director, Rachel McLane.
The transformation of an historic disused 19th century York convent into modern homes has won two major design awards for York property developer, Northminster Ltd and its design team.
Former St Joseph’s Convent, Lawrence Street, which was turned into nine modern apartments, a house and four new-build properties with a communal garden, has won the multiple residential dwelling and open, communal space or public realm categories in York Design Awards.
The scheme, which Northminster started in 2018 and sold after completion for £3.6m, was also shortlisted in the conservation/restoration category. The new homes’ design interpreted the nuns’ living quarters with open-plan accommodation and a communal garden where residents can meet, plant vegetables and harvest the fruit trees, reflecting the convent’s communal living.
The award is the latest in a series of accolades for Northminster which won a York Design Award for Piccadilly Lofts in York city centre 2015 while its Nelson’s Yard new homes redevelopment, between Piccadilly and Walmgate, York, was highly commended in the residential category of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards in 2018, shortlisted in the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards and a Northern Design Awards Finalist.
Northminster’s redevelopment of Clementhorpe Maltings, near York, won numerous awards in 2017, topped by the RICS Awards grand final winner nationally in the residential category; an Historic England Angel Award and The Association for Industrial Archaeology Award for Best Creative Re-Use of a former industrial property.
Northminster, which has completed 40 homes, in and around York, with a development value of almost £20m in the last seven years, worked on St Joseph’s Convent with its established design team comprising York-based construction and property consultants, LHL Group, York; MESH Architects, Leeds; Topping Engineers, Harrogate and Pickering-based interior designer, Rachel McLane.
Managing director, George Burgess, says: “We are delighted with this latest award which is great for the design team as we could not have achieved this without them. It is rewarding to see how well used the St Joseph’s garden is as a meeting place and food source for all the householders.
“We are passionate about transforming unwanted historic buildings and have gained valuable experience during the last 10 years working alongside the design team that is committed to the high-quality results we strive for.
“We rely on each other to deal with demanding requirements, which often occur with historic properties, and our collective problem-solving abilities. We plan to draw on their experience for similar residential projects and we are also working together in our commercial division.”
LHL Group managing director, Richard Hampshire says: “Northminster are visionaries and worthy winners. Their attention to detail throughout is second to none. They are also fair and uncomplicated and we enjoy working with them.”
Northminster Properties is currently on site with Lindum, York, creating a new purpose-built distribution facility for national parcel carrier, DPDgroup at Northminster Business Park, York, and is in the early stages of progressing an eight- acre mixed-use site in North Yorkshire.