RIBA announces 2016 Client of the Year shortlist

Behind many positively impactful architectural projects is a successful relationship between the architect and the client. As an honorable gesture to those notable clients, RIBA established the annual Client of the Year award. Supported by The Bloxham Charitable Trust, the award not only recognizes the client's role in designing fine architecture, but also the positive impact that clients can create for their local communities.

Four nominated clients made the cut for this year's shortlist. Along with RIBA's other winner announcements, the Client of the Year will be revealed during the RIBA Stirling Prize party in London on October 6.

Check out this year's shortlisted projects and their clients below.

Westmorland Limited – nominated by Glenn Howells Architects for the 2016 RIBA National Award winning Gloucester Services by Glenn Howells Architects and AFL Architects

“Gloucester Services builds upon the success of Tebay in its use of local materials, innovation, construction and vernacular design. It exceeds all expectations of what a motorway service area can be. Working with Glenn Howells Architects, Westmorland had a clear brief. They were professional from the outset, allowing the architectural team to come up with the most appropriate design for the site whilst also challenging and testing the design down to the last detail. Over 28 million vehicles a year carry over 40 million people through Gloucestershire via the M5 – previously without any community benefit. Now, through the vision of Westmorland, the M5 has been turned into a community asset rather than a problem bringing pollution, congestion and noise. Gloucester Services champions its locality through its commitment to locally sourced and homemade food. The business works with around 130 local (within 30 miles) and over 70 regional producers. A notable feature of Westmorland is its partnership with the Gloucester Gateway Trust, which works with disadvantaged local communities. Westmorland have successfully employed over 30% of its workforce from the long-term unemployed, those with learning disabilities and mental illness, substance abuse sufferers and ex-offenders.”

Leicester Print Workshop – nominated by Takero Shimazaki Architects for their 2016 RIBA Award-winning Leicester Print Workshop

“The project was led by Leicester Print Workshop (LPW) Director, Lucy Phillips, who had the vision to create a new home for LPW. A vision to make its printmaking processes more visible, make LPW more central to Leicester’s arts community and create more accessible premises with larger flexible spaces for printmaking to flourish. With a well-written briefing document, the strong vision was clear from the outset and architects were invited to pitch. The selected team understood the organisation’s aspirations and printmaking processes. Lucy’s involvement, supported by the Board of Trustees and the Working Members Group, was key to the architecture of the project, including using printmaking as an inspiration for its construction and creative involvement in design decisions and value engineering. Lucy cultivated a participatory culture surrounding the project; design workshops were held with the artists and a network of volunteers and funders were inspired to partake. Lucy made it a project truly connecting within its context and locality...”

Manchester City Council – nominated by Mecanoo for their 2016 RIBA National Award-winning HOME (in addition to the 2016 RIBA North West Award winners Manchester Central Library by Ryder Architecture and Library Walk Link Building by SimpsonHaugh and Partners)

“With HOME, [the Manchester City Council] commissioned not just a multi-art form building, but an actual new home to two well-loved cultural institutions, within a new mixed-use, commercial, leisure destination: First Street. In selecting an architect for HOME via a European competition, they looked for a clearly articulated understanding of the brief and what the City wanted to deliver. They chose Mecanoo because, rather than someone imposing their solution on them, they wanted designs to evolve. The cultural development department spent a lot of time getting the brief right. They managed to solve problems along the way, future-proofing the project. Looking at a lot of theatres and their ancillary spaces helped with the look and feel of HOME, achieving great intimacy in the main auditoria. The department also spoke to the people who actually operate the buildings to ask them what they would have done differently. For HOME, understanding and interpreting the end-user’s vision about what they want to achieve was particularly successful, with HOME director and chief executive Dave Moutrey being involved with every design decision. The focus on collaboration maintained the spirit and quality that the team had at the beginning throughout the whole process. HOME delivered what the City set out to achieve, on time and on budget.”

University of Oxford Estates – nominated by WilkinsonEyre for their 2016 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlisted Weston Library

“It was both a challenge and a privilege to be appointed by Oxford University Estates in 2006 to transform this extraordinary building, within such an important historic context, and with such a unique collection of books and manuscripts. Working closely with Sarah Thomas, former Bodley Librarian, Richard Ovenden, Bodley Librarian and Toby Kirtley, Estates Projects Officer has been enlightening and thoroughly rewarding. It was clear from the start that they were looking to find an architect who could respond to their robust and complex brief, while at the same time retaining a strong architectural concept and clarity of vision...A key part of recent improvements is the project to refurbish the New Bodleian Library, and create the Weston Library...Led by the dynamic client team, the Weston Library now successfully provides a modernised cultural and intellectual landmark, and boasts a leading research facility based on the University’s unrivalled special collections...”