Foster and Partners have scooped two Awards and two Commendations at a ceremony for the annual Civic Trust Awards, at Lords Cricket Ground on 29 March. 30 St Mary Axe and The Sage Gateshead were given their Awards for the outstanding contribution they have made to the public realm. Albion Riverside and Imperial College Faculty Building received Commendations.
The Civic Trust Awards are unique in that they do not simply recognise the very best in architecture, urban design, landscaping and public art, but also take into account the way in which schemes relate to their settings and to the people that they serve.
316 schemes entered the Civic Trust Awards in 2006. The judging panel consists of expert and experienced volunteers from the fields of architecture, design, landscape design, sustainability engineering, access and conservation. The Civic Trust is a national charity which champions the value of good, inclusive design in the built environment; the Awards have been running since 1959. The awards run on a two-year cycle: one year for projects built in the UK's major cities and metropolitan areas, the next year for the countryside and country towns.