INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR SACRED ARCHITECTURE
JULY 2020
The Bishop Edward King Chapel is among the shortlist of 10 buildings for the International Prize for Sacred Architecture judged by the Frat Sole Foundation. The Jury was composed by the following members of the Scientific Committee of Frate Sole Foundation: don Valerio Pennasso, arch. Giorgio Della Longa, prof. arch. Esteban Fernandez Cobian, arch. Caterina Parrello, prof. Walter Zahner, arch. Luigi Leoni. The Winner of the VII edition of the International Prize for Sacred Architecture, will be voted by a second and will be announced in late July.
AYR MASTERPLAN
FEBRUARY 2017
In collaboration with acclaimed international land artist Charles Jencks the masterplan for Ayr has been given planning consent. The project has been conceived as an urban square next to the River Ayr that will be used for festivals and events.
The scheme, focuses around a new glazed structure, that will open up a number of views blocked by post-war development and includes commercial, cultural, leisure, community, hotel and residential buildings. South Ayrshire Council has already committed to building a new council office for 350 of its staff as part of the scheme.
Ayr Renaissance began purchasing the mainly 20th century buildings on the site almost four years ago with funding from the council and the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
Demolition will begin immediately on the buildings within the plot, which falls inside the Ayr Central Conservation, following the approval for the masterplan by South Ayrshire Council last week.
Archaeologists will work alongside the demolition contractors in preparation for a six-month dig.
James Knox, chairman of Ayr Renaissance, said: ‘This decision marks a turning point in the fortunes of Ayr. Decades of blight will be swept away, opening up the river to the town’s people for the first time in generations. ‘Our masterplan offers a humane and beautiful solution to the transformation of this key site, which will act as a magnet for visitors, office workers and inhabitants alike. It marks a sea change in the economy of the town.’