Teaching and Learning Centre lauded by Civic Trust Awards

Date 19 Mar 2021

The Teaching and Learning Centre at Durham University has been named as a Highly Commended project at the 2021 Civic Trust awards.

Constructed by Galliford Try, the £40m building was originally designed by Faulkner Brown, with Space Architects involved in the construction phase. The building houses lecture theatres, teaching rooms, and an education laboratory where new teaching and training methods are being developed. It has been designed for the extensive utilisation of the latest in audio/video technology to allow fully flexible teaching arrangements.

The building itself is notable for a spectacular asymmetric pyramidal design roof that also features a central rooflight, which along with the top-lit coffers recreate a traditional reading room effect.

In making the award, the judges for the Civic Trust stated: “This is an accomplished piece of architecture that can adapt to meet the changing needs in the sector.”

Cliff Wheatley, Managing Director for Galliford Try Building North East and Yorkshire, commented: “The Teaching and Learning Centre is a fantastic facility for the students of Durham and everyone involved can all be proud of the part they played in achieving this award. A Civic Trust award denotes a building that has made real difference to the built environment of its local surroundings and we are delighted that it has been recognised in this way.”