C&C and RIBA throw down the gauntlet for Wolverhampton regeneration

Capital&Centric has teamed up with the Royal Institute of British Architects to find a design for a major site in the heart of Wolverhampton. The competition will see a shortlist of architecture practices put forward their initial ideas for the five-acre St George’s plot, for which the council appointed C&C as development partner in December. Entrants will be challenged to incorporate the existing Grade II listed church as a centrepiece of an “aspirational, diverse and playful neighbourhood” that is intended to act as a catalyst for the transformation of the city. C&C joint managing director John Moffat said: “We have been pretty dogmatic in our belief that exemplar design doesn’t have to be the preserve of London or the South. Delivering development on brownfield sites in towns and cities is critical to the UK’s housing supply, but that’s no excuse for bland and boring new builds that add little to the social fabric of a place. “We are teaming up with RIBA to ensure that the St George’s neighbourhood in Wolverhampton can be held up as a best-in-class example of how to do creative, brownfield regeneration right in a way that delivers social value. We want the practices to come up with something that both inspires and excites, but is a deliverable design that the city can get behind.” Entrants will be tasked with incorporating homes, community facilities, accommodation for businesses, as well as verdant public spaces. A key tenet of the brief will be encouraging wellbeing, health and a distinct sense of identify and place that stands out from the crowd. Architects wanting to be considered should contact Martin Crews at C&C via info@capitalandcentric.com