** Voting has now closed **
What’s the best new or regenerated building in York?
YorkMix has teamed up with York Design Awards so you can choose your favourite.
There are some remarkable new buildings on this year’s shortlist for you to vote for, as well as several amazing conversions to existing structures.
The York Design Awards showcase the city’s architectural excellence, celebrating projects that exemplify innovation, sustainability, and respect for York’s rich heritage.
Last year’s winners included the National Railway Museum’s Wonderlab, Brainkind Neurological Centre, Heworth House and The Church of All Saints.
Two of the awards are down to you. The YorkMix People’s Choice Award, and the Young People’s Award, given to the project which is the favourite of voters aged under 18.
After perusing the candidates, you can vote online using the form below.
Or go to the exhibition at York Explore, which runs from 13 to 23 June and vote there.
You can vote for up to three schemes. The closing date is midday on Monday, 23 June.
Entries
Eden House, Earswick
Client / developer: Mr and Mrs Widdrington
Architect / designer: Brierley Groom LLP
Builder: York Property Solutions Ltd
Good design prioritises functionality, ensuring a building meets the needs of its users. This home is carefully crafted to create intimacy, generosity, and well-being, with thoughtful spatial relationships, natural light, and a strong connection to nature.
Located in the village of Earswick, it harmonises with its residential surroundings while embracing high-quality materials and craftsmanship for longevity and adaptability. Sustainability is central, featuring a high thermal envelope, solar PV system, battery storage, and heat pumps, resulting in top-tier energy efficiency.
Beyond function, the home delights – offering a games room, cinema, gym, garden room, and outdoor kitchen, embodying the essence of a family home.
Cocoa Works, Main Building
Client / developer: Clarion Housing Group
Architect / designer: Weedon Architects
Builder: Henry Boot Construction Ltd
The conversion of the Cocoa Works factory into 279 residential apartments revitalises this historic site. The design respects the building’s heritage, repairing and upgrading its fabric while adding modern elements like a rooftop extension for penthouses.
The apartments feature large windows that flood spaces with natural light. Sustainability is prioritised by repurposing the existing structure, with careful integration of new elements to strengthen the building.
The building’s exterior is restored with Victorian Red bricks, and a contemporary extension is added. Community spaces, gardens, and history exhibitions like “Sweet Memories” enhance the connection to the local heritage and foster a sense of community.
Cocoa Works, Library & Pavilion
Client / developer: Clarion Housing Group
Architect / designer: Weedon Architects
Builder: Henry Boot Construction Ltd
The Library and Pavilion project at Cocoa Works in York revitalises the Grade II Listed Joseph Rowntree Library (1927) alongside a modern, eco-friendly extension.
Inspired by Victorian steel-frame glasshouses, the design seamlessly integrates with its surroundings, fostering a vibrant community hub. The sustainable Pavilion, made from timber and featuring a sedum roof, offers retail, café and community spaces.
The project prioritises sustainability with eco-friendly materials like CLT walls and a focus on preserving the library’s original fabric. The design celebrates the site’s heritage, enhances local biodiversity, and creates a space for the community to connect and form new memories.
St Andrew Place Renewal
Client / developer: Stephanie Marshall
Architect / designer: Native Architects
Builder: Ebor Construction
The 5 St Andrew Renewal reimagines a compact footprint within York’s historic core. Thoughtfully revitalised, the design transforms enclosed rooms into open, light-filled spaces with long, inviting views.
It celebrates York’s richly layered historic development, maintaining a strong visual connection to the urban context. Modern sustainable technologies, including a heat pump, mechanical ventilation, sustainable and cradle-to-cradle materials, create a low energy solution to upgrading a dwelling.
With meticulous attention to detail, this project creates adaptable, inspiring spaces that highlight the best potential of refurbishment, enhancing sustainability and comfort in the heart of a historic city.
Clifton Explore
Client / developer: City of York Council
Architect / designer: City of York Council
Builder: Walter Thompson
The vision at Clifton was to deliver a real community hub, with expanded library space allowing Explore to expand their offer and engaging activities to residents.
Home to Clifton Without Junior School prior to its move, the school site has been redeveloped, retaining the key prominent features of the original school building.
This combination of adapting and refurbishing areas of the old school buildings together with the addition of new build elements has provided state of the art modern facilities whilst retaining some historic character.
The new building is a modern welcoming space for all.
Raffles Hall, James Street
Client / developer: S. Harrison Developments Ltd
Architect / designer: S. Harrison Developments Ltd
Builder: GMI Construction
This comprehensive regeneration scheme repurposes a previously underutilised site adjacent to York’s central historic core conservation area. Styled to complement the local vernacular, the new building is sympathetic in its external design and detail.
Internally it provides generously sized and immaculately planned sustainable living and amenity space for 303 students.
Bordering on BREEAM Excellent, the predominantly vehicle-free development, featuring 155 cycle spaces, sits between the city’s two universities. With its bold architecture, imaginative public- access pocket park and active ground-floor frontage, this landmark scheme, impressive in its own right, also provides the catalyst for the further regeneration of James Street.
St Peter’s School, Conservation Project
Client / developer: St Peter’s School
Architect / designer: Donald Insall
Builder: Matthias Garn, Master Mason and Partner
The façade of St Peter’s School, a historic York school, has been secured and enhanced by two phases of conservation work.
Following a fall of stone and stone debris, concerns were raised about the condition of the masonry. Ferrey & Mennim (now merged with Donald Insall Associates) acted as conservation architect alongside Matthias Garn, Master Mason.
The project involved the careful cleaning, conservation and replacement of masonry. The façade is now dramatically improved and the school can continue to be used for generations.
16 Rawcliffe Lane
Client / developer: Owen & Jennifer Plummer
Architect / designer: Owen Plummer
Builder: Morgan Medley
Our aspiration was to enhance quality of space for our family. With two young boys, improved connection to our garden is important to us, as is an open and safe space for them to enjoy their childhood.
Each aspect of the design is grounded in this, which has been carefully considered to achieve multiple goals within a site of modest scale. Our home is now a place for living, play, and entertaining.
The design of the scheme reveals itself gradually from modest entrance to light and lofty living space and, whilst open plan with generous natural light, also provides privacy.
Bustardthorpe, York Racecourse
Client / developer: York Racecourse
Architect / designer: Dawson Williamson Architects
Builder: Lindum York
York Racecourse aspires to be one of the best racecourses in the world and it is essential that it continues to evolve and develop its facilities in order to achieve this aim.
Enhancement of the landscape and the creation of new habitats within the brickwork boundary walls that define the racecourse boundaries connect the site to its wider context.
The Bustardthorpe Development adds a layer to the rich architectural tapestry of work by several Architects over nearly three hundred years. Re-using and extending the life span of the existing building stock to create a new generation of spaces for racegoers.
Centre for Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills & Estate Management
Client / developer: The Chapter of York
Architect / designer: Tonkin Liu Architects
Builder: Simpson
The Centre of Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills & Estate Management has established the York Minster Precinct as a world class campus facility for research, education and training in traditional craft skills.
The centre will continue to nurture the craft of stonemasonry whilst encouraging global learning and knowledge sharing. It will also preserve traditional craft skills for future generations, as well as being a shining example of best practice in managing complex heritage estates.
Utilising world-class, cutting-edge technology, it will also support young people in the early stages of their careers and provide dedicated residential facilities for apprentices.
Langley Gate
Client / developer: Miller Homes Yorkshire
Architect / designer: Miller Homes Yorkshire
Builder: Miller Homes Yorkshire
At planning stage great consideration was taken to create a development to provide new homes for the people of York. Sympathetically designed on a partial brownfield site in the suburb of Poppleton, the 266 homes are aesthetically pleasing and centre around three distinct areas with many homes having views towards the Minster and city skyline.
Whilst build is expected to conclude in 2027, completed parts of the development are maturing beautifully and superb communities have been created with a mix of local and international customers enjoying the benefits of a high-quality brand-new home.
Osbaldwick Village Hall
Client / developer: Mark Warters
Architect / designer: Mark Warters
Builder: Mark Warters
Osbaldwick Village Hall renovation project was carried forward as a ‘self-build’ community project between Osbaldwick Parish Council and Osbaldwick Montessori Nursery funded by Public Works Loan Board loans and assisted with generous help and donations from various businesses and trades to ensure finances stretched to carry out these extensive once in a lifetime works.
The end result is a building fully in keeping with its conservation area surroundings and a stunning interior on two levels all built to the highest standards and regulations that has saved the building for future generations when the future looked bleak only a few years ago.
King Street
Client / developer: Samuel Guilfoyle
Architect / designer: ArkleBoyce Architects Ltd
Builder: Vine House Construction
We were asked to create a series of holiday apartments on a site within central York’s conservation area. A derelict, two-storey former restaurant occupied the site but was in a poor state of disrepair and was generally detrimental to the street.
The existing buildings façade treatment, scale, and massing were at odds with the historic streetscape. The proposals sought to retain the existing concrete frame and add a lightweight timber frame to minimise the embodied carbon.
A simple palette of materials and form are a contextual response to the surrounding area and the strict planning requirements of the conservation area
The Grange, Hessay
Client / developer: Mr and Mrs Blackwell
Architect / designer: Fining Associates
Builder: Huffy Construction
The Grange’s new extension reimagines a tired outbuilding as a tranquil, independent annex,
harmonising modern minimalism with heritage sensitivity.
Timber cladding and expansive glazing create a subtle contrast to traditional brickwork, while improved insulation and passive shading enhance sustainability.
Every detail, from bespoke joinery to a carefully considered lighting scheme, reflects meticulous and master craftsmanship.
Designed to complement its rural setting, the low-profile structure balances innovation with timeless elegance to enrich and support daily life.
Bracken Lodge, Bishopthorpe
Client / developer: Samuel Guilfoyle
Architect / designer: ArkleBoyce Architects Ltd
Builder: Vine House Construction
We were asked to create a bespoke and accessible new home for a young client who has been using a wheelchair since 2010. Bracken Lodge adapts and remodels an existing 1950s dwelling to create a sustainable and accessible dwelling.
Consideration has been given to how the client will move through the space which respond to their specific needs. The original house was very cellular in nature and had a separate annexe used as a bed and breakfast.
The proposals have sought to unify the space and create large accessible areas that provide enjoyment, accessibility and delight for the owner.
Rowan House, Strensall
Client / developer: Dr Derek Attridge and Ms Suzanne Hall
Architect / designer: Bramhall Blenkharn Leonard
Builder: York Builder Ltd
Rowan House is a new build dwelling of exceptional quality designed with sustainability and low carbon at its core. The house is constructed from an innovative timber frame structure that is fully filled with 290mm of high performance sheep wool insulation.
The street elevation is confidently modern yet also contextually sensitive, with design features referencing the conservation area in which it sits.
The modern zinc rear facade is gently cranked around the historic apple tree that was retained and forms a wonderfully sculptural centrepiece to the rear garden.