The annual York Design Awards return in January, with a new woman at the helm. STEPHEN LEWIS reports

THE Englishman's home is his castle, the saying goes. Unfortunately, worrying evidence emerged recently that sometimes those castles aren't built as well as they should be.

The BBC and other national media reported earlier this month that hundreds of new properties around the country had been built using weak mortar that crumbled and cracked.

There were reports of faults with new homes on at least 13 estates in the UK.

Perhaps even more worrying, the BBC reported that some home owners had been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements as part of a deal to get their homes repaired and compensation paid.

"That's shocking!" admits Rebecca Thompson, the new chair of the York Design Awards, who last year was President of the Chartered Institute of Building. "If somebody (a builder) isn't doing the work properly then we should be able to say, otherwise it will never improve."

There is no suggestion so far, thankfully, that any of these shoddily-built new homes were in York.

But the widely-raised concerns about the quality of some new developments is just one more reason why schemes such as the York Design Awards are important.

Every year, the awards seek to celebrate the very best in new building design and construction in York - as well as recognising quality restoration and conservation projects. The idea is to drive up the quality of building and design across the board by giving designers, builders and architects something to aspire to.

At the start of each year, developers, architects and even proud property owners are invited to submit projects that fall into one of eight categories - including small and large residential buildings, small and large commercial buildings, restoration/ conservation projects and public open space.

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A panel of four independent judges (all of them distinguished architects) then visits each property or project that has been entered, with the winners being announced at a glitzy awards ceremony at a different venue in York each year.

Set up 12 years ago by former Lord Mayor of York Janet Hopton, the Awards have gone from strength to strength. Previous winners include the Hiscox building, the York Theatre Royal restoration, Rowntree Skate Park, York Minster's Great East Window restoration, the Chocolate Works at the former Terry's site and Derwenthorpe.

There is absolutely no doubt that the Awards have made a real difference to the quality of building work in York, says Rebecca, who takes over as chair of the awards in their 13th year.

"York is starting to really improve in terms of the quality and standard of some buildings," she says. "The Hiscox building is one. It is not only a great building to look at, but a great building to work in. But then you've got the whole Hungate area, which is coming together nicely; and even Stonebow House, a piece of brutalist architecture which is now starting to look great."

There's no doubt in her mind that the Design Awards, with their emphasis on quality of design and build, and on a building's capacity to make people feel good, have contributed to this. Their success has been such that they are attracting national attention, she says. "We have people now from different cities coming to us and saying 'we want to look at doing something similar'.

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She herself comes from the heritage sector.

Brought up in Wigginton, she went to Joseph Rowntree School, where she studied technical drawing amongst other GCSEs. After university, she joined York-based Shepherd Construction as an apprentice quantity surveyor, rising over 20 years to become a senior project manager.

Then ten years or so ago, she decided it was time for a career change. Her ideal job, she decided, would involve working with skilled craftsmen on the maintenance of a historic or possibly religious building.

There just happens to be a building in York which fits that bill perfectly. It's called York Minster. Rebecca's husband Shaun, then a North Yorkshire police inspector, spotted an advert for a Superintendent of Works at the Minster. Rebecca applied: and got the job.

She had only been in post about six months when there was a near disaster. In the small hours of December 31, 2009, she got a message to call the Minster Stoneyard. There had been a fire, she was told.

The fire was in an office at the stoneyard, not in the Minster itself. But the concern was for the irreplaceable stained glass from the Minster's Great East Window, which was being stored in a room directly beneath.

By the time she arrived at 1.30, thankfully, firefighters helped by staff from the Minster, the stoneyard and the glaziers' trust had the fire under control - and most importantly had managed to carry the precious glass to safety. But it was a sobering beginning to her new job.

Rebecca stayed at the Minster for seven years, throughout much of the period of the York Minster Revealed conservation project, which included restoration of the Great East Window. She was in overall charge of the restoration and maintenance of the fabric of the great cathedral. Towards the end, she even served as the Minster's acting Chapter Steward.

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Rebecca Thompson

She loved the job. But a couple of years ago, she decided it was time for a change again.

With her husband Shaun she set up Thompson Heritage Consultancy, which offers project management for heritage and restoration projects across the country, working with everything from churches and cathedrals to listed buildings that are at risk.

Three days a week, she also works as 'Head of Built Environment' at Castle Howard - a new job which involves looking after the maintenance and restoration of the house and its grounds and associated buildings.

She's a busy woman. So how on earth has she found time to take on the role of Chair of the York Design Awards too?

"Busy people get things done!" she says brightly. She's going to be very busy when the Design Awards return next year...

ALL CHANGE AT THE YORK DESIGN AWARDS

Outgoing York Design Awards chair Janet Hopton was delighted when Rebecca Thompson agreed to take on the role.

Janet had founded the awards, then ran them for 12 years with the help of a 13-man committee.

But a couple of years ago, she decided it was time for someone else to have a go.

Rebecca was President of the Chartered Institute of Building at the time, so it was a question of waiting for her term of office there to come to an end.

"But I was delighted that she could do it. She has all the experience and skills that will be needed," Mrs Hopton said. "She will bring some new ideas, and really be able to take things forward."

Janet's boots will be very big ones to fill, Rebecca admits.

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Outgoing chair: Janet Hopton

"The Design Awards were her idea. She set them up, and she has done an amazing job of turning them into the success they are. They run like a well-oiled machine."

So she isn't going to change much about the way the awards run: at least not to start with. There will still be a panel of judges: well-known architects who come from all over the UK to spend a few days in York visiting all of the projects that are entered.

And there will still be a special category of the Design Awards - The Press People's Award - which is voted for by members of the public rather than by professional architects.

"That's hugely important," Rebecca says. "It is people who have to live in and use the buildings. They know whether they are right or wrong."

But there might gradually be even more of an emphasis on the quality of build as well as the quality of design. And it is important that buildings should be seen in the context of the wider area of the city in which they are built, she says: so there will perhaps be more of an emphasis on how they sit in their surroundings.

She'd also like to do more with children, although she hasn't quite worked out what, yet.

There are huge opportunities in the building industry for young people, she says. She like to use the Design Awards to educate children about those opportunities - as well as about the importance of good building design itself.

Watch this space...

  • The 2019 York Design Awards will be launched on Wednesday January 30, with an evening talk by architect Stephen Witherford of Witherford Watson Mann. Entries for the 2019 awards will open the same day. To find out more about the York Design Awards, visit yorkdesignawards.org/