22/03/2010

Aberystwyth Art Units Win Civic Trust Award


The Creative Art Units at Aberystwyth Arts Centre, covered in this blog last May, have won a major award at the annual Civic Trust Awards in Liverpool.

The awards are given to projects that are culturally, socially or economically beneficial, and are judged to make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the built environment. Fifty projects from the British Isles and Spain were selected from over 330 entries. The Creative Units project was the only Welsh winner.

The units were designed to develop Aberystwyth Arts Centre’s role as a creative hub for arts and craft workers. The project, worth £1.4 million, received funding from Aberystwyth University, the Arts Council of Wales Lottery Fund and the National Assembly. All the units are now fully occupied with a range of new and established creative business, working in fields that include TV, music, digital production, book publishing, and visual artists. With their ‘crinkled steel’ finish their unique look has proved to be a real draw for creative companies looking for a base that fits their image.

The units aren’t liked by everyone and involved the clearing of a small wood to accommodate but they certainly provide much needed studio space for some of the large community of artists in Aberystwyth.