A bi-annual event, the SDAs recognise buildings, open spaces and public art which have a high design quality, make a substantial contribution to the local environment and encourage the preservation, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest within the Sheffield City Region. Set up by the Sheffield Civic Trust and the Sheffield Society of Architects, they are now in their tenth year.
 
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park has been shortlisted for the Large Project Award.
 
Ben Handley from Ares Landscape Architects said
 
“This was an opportunity to create a new park for the city, a park which reflects some of the most recognisable and well-loved characteristics of Sheffield’s landscape. Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park has hills, woods and water and is now included as one of the Outdoor City Run routes.
 
“A key aim of the landscape design was to reveal and celebrate a lot of what was already there, we’ve worked with the River Stewardship Company and Friends of the Blue Loop to open up the Park to the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal and give access to the Blue Loop circular walk around the canal and the River Don.
 
“The park is a backdrop for elite sport such as Sheffield Eagles RLFC and all the activities at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, but it is equally a campus for the students of the UTC and Oasis Academy as well as green open space for the local community.”
 
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park has recently hosted its first major event on the newly landscaped hills and cycle paths – the grand finale of the Sheffield Urban Cyclo Cross 2018 race series.
 
Later this month South Yorkshire Orienteers is using Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park for a Regional Urban Event, bringing yet another exciting sport to the Park.
 
Project Lead for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, the Rt Hon Richard Caborn, said:
 
“It is wonderful that Ares and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park have been shortlisted for this award.
 
“We wanted to create a welcoming, attractive environment and a space that would work to boost the local community and encourage economic regeneration – both very important areas of legacy from the London 2012 Games. The way the Park is being utilised by the community and the regeneration we’re seeing is testament to this.
 
“The SDAs work to shine a light on the best of architectural and public space design in Sheffield so we’re really proud of this achievement.”
 
The shortlisted projects will now be studied by an expert panel with the awards ceremony taking place on the 25th October at Trafalgar Warehouse in Sheffield.
 
Previous winners include Sheffield City Council’s ‘Grey to Green’ project on West Bar, social enterprise and pay-as-you-feel cafe ‘Foodhall’, and Barker’s Pool statue ‘Women of Steel’ in honour of the female factory workers of WW2.
 
For more information about the awards, visit www.SheffieldDesignAwards.org and follow @SHFdesignawards on Twitter.