CAMRA declares National Pub Design Awards open

23rd July 2009, 2:27pm

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has today re-opened its Pub Design Awards competition in a bid to reward the hard work in design that the pub industry has undertaken.

The Pub Design Awards scheme was founded in 1983 to encourage high standards of architectural design in the refurbishment and conservation of existing public houses and in the construction of the new.

With particular relevance to the present day, the Pub Design Awards aim to stimulate interest and awareness in the many diverse factors that contribute to the unique character of the British pub as an institution. 

The 2009 Awards will be judged by the regular panel of architects, authors, historians and heritage experts. 

The Awards welcome entrants from anywhere in the British Isles, with the competition consisting of the following four categories: 

1) New Build Pub
This category is for entirely new built pubs. The judges look for a number of details when judging the worth of any new establishment. The pub might reflect pubs of the past but without becoming a mere pastiche of Edwardian, Victorian or even Georgian artefacts. Or it could be completely modern, using materials of the 20th or 21st century.

2) Conversion to Pub Use
This is where an existing building is converted to pub use. Pubs are judged on the taste and restraint used on both the outside and inside of the pub.

3) Refurbished pub
Refurbishment can range from a complete gutting to replace what was crass and in bad taste with something far better to an enhancement of what was originally there. Refurbishment should suit the individual pub and not be an excuse to use uniform furnishings to brand the pub with brewery or pub company's image.

4) CAMRA / English Heritage Conservation award
This award, sponsored by English Heritage, is usually given for work on a pub which conserves what is good in the pub, makes good some of the crass refurbishment efforts of the past and ensures that the fabric of the place will survive for further generations of pub goers and drinkers to enjoy.

Julian Hough, CAMRA's Pubs director, said: "For the Awards this year, the judges are looking for pub entrants that have really shone out and defied gloomy economic forecasts by investing in their pub. A level of restraint, coupled with a consideration for a building's historic features, will also secure praise from the panel from a conservational point of view, whilst in the new build pubs we are openly seeking entrants showcasing both conventional and ground breaking designs." 

Application forms can be downloaded from the CAMRA website at www.camra.org.uk/pdaentryform, with entries submitted by email to jon.howard@camra.org.uk

Related Articles:

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• 22 Sep 2011 - CAMRA backs National Cask Ale Week
• 18 Jul 2011 - The search for Champion Beer of Britain 2011 begins
• 04 Jul 2011 - CAMRA launches guide to beer drinking in London
• 15 Jun 2011 - CAMRA's National Pub Design Awards announced
• 08 Apr 2011 - CAMRA's Great British Beer Festival returns
• 16 Feb 2011 - The Harp in London crowned National Pub of the Year
• 26 Nov 2009 - CAMRA announces National Pub of the Year finalists
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• 05 Aug 2009 - 55% of all drinkers support lower strength beer option in pubs
• 04 Aug 2009 - More women drinkers opt for real ale, says CAMRA
• 28 Jul 2009 - CAMRA launches petition to save historic pub
• 16 Jul 2009 - European rules must change for UK government to support pubs
• 29 Jun 2009 - Best pub designs receive awards today
• 19 May 2009 - New report highlights vital social role of community pubs
• 14 May 2009 - Celebrate mild beer in May
• 13 May 2009 - MPs call for inquiry into 'beer tie' activity
• 13 Apr 2009 - 'We will not punish those who drink responsibly'
• 12 Mar 2009 - 30,000 people support local pubs

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