GHT has been nominated for a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award!

Posted: 19/04/2022

We’re delighted to announce the reimagining of our flagship venue God’s House Tower has been nominated for a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award.

Gods House Tower (GHT) is one of seven projects that has been shortlisted in the RIBA South Regional Awards for 2022. Having become custodians of the building – which had previously been the city’s archeology museum – in 2016 after securing the lease from Southampton City Council followed by a successful fundraising drive, this enabled us to transform the 700-year-old monument into a new arts and heritage venue for the city.

As part of a £3.1 million scheme funded by the National Heritage Lottery fund and public grants, architects and heritage consultants Purcell were appointed as Architects and Conservation Architects to transform GHT into a cultural centre that could host art exhibitions, events and cultural activities.

‘a space’ arts worked with Purcell to transform the Grade 1 listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, adding a contemporary extension, and creating an open and expansive exhibition and event space with accessible visitor facilities, including a café bar, reading room and external courtyard.

The venue re-opened to the public in September 2019 and is now a vibrant entrance to Southampton’s historically significant Old Town, and has quickly become a beacon of the city’s thriving arts scene.

Daniel Crow, Director of ‘a space’ arts, said: “This nomination for God’s House Tower in the 2022 Royal Institute of British Architects awards is another validation of the years of detailed work that our partnership with Purcell delivered over the life of the project. The scale of the challenge was greater than anything ‘a space’ arts had previously worked on, and we believe the outcome was absolutely worth the effort – the results truly speak for themselves.

“What is even more gratifying is seeing audiences, visitors, and artists from Southampton and beyond really take GHT to heart, filling the building with life and conversation, and returning each weekend to enjoy everything this unique venue has to offer.”

The winner of the RIBA South Regional Award for 2022 will be announced later this Spring.