Raffles Hotel at The Old War Office, London has secured the top prize at the Architectural Ironmongery (AI) Specification Awards 2024.
Presented by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the awards identify and reward excellence in the specification and design of architectural ironmongery.
Architectural ironmongers HAF @ John Planck Ltd and EPR Architects received a total of three awards for their work together on the Grade II listed Old War Office in Whitehall – an Edwardian Baroque building steeped in history including its role as a command base for Winston Churchill during World War 2.
The team scooped the Hospitality Award for the Raffles London at OWO project, and the Residential Award for The Old War Office Residences.
The Raffles Hotel, London at OWO project was then presented with the event’s top prize, the Winner of Winners Award, with the judges highlighting the huge amount of beautifully crafted bespoke ironmongery which fits seamlessly into the overall aesthetic of the building.
Among other winners, the team of Allgood Ltd and GA Design won The International Award for their work on Atlantis, The Royal in Dubai; Allgood also took home the Public and Commercial Award for their work on The Featherstone Building, London alongside Morris+Company; Em-B Solutions secured the Ethos Award for Cherry Tree House in Leeds; and 3v Architectural Hardware and Stanton Williams received the Health and Education Award for their work on Rhodes House in Oxford.
In the product categories, ASSA Abloy won Product Design & Innovation (Mechanical) for its 485 & 585 Concealed Escape Hardware, and Access2 won Product Design & Innovation (Electronic) for the Tedee smart lock.
Opening the event at Southwark Cathedral, GAI Treasurer Philip Goldberg said: “The AI Specification Awards celebrate architectural ironmongery at its most effective and beautiful best.
“Entries are judged on the totality of the architectural ironmongery specification – how it supports and enhances the design vision; how it ensures the security, safety and accessibility of the building; and the contribution it makes to the functionality, sustainability and longevity.
“As such, these awards highlight the importance of genuine partnership between architects, designers and architectural ironmongers, and rightly reward the whole specification team.”
The winning projects announced at the event were:
Winner of Winners (sponsored by GEZE UK)
Winner
Raffles Hotel, The Old War Office, London
Architect – EPR Architects
Architectural Ironmongery – HAF @ John Planck Ltd
Public & Commercial Award (sponsored by ASSA Abloy)
Winner
Featherstone Building, London
Architect – Morris+Company
Architectural Ironmongery – Allgood Ltd
Hospitality Award (sponsored by dormakaba)
Winner
Raffles Hotel, The Old War Office, London
Architect – EPR Architects
Architectural Ironmongery – HAF @ John Planck Ltd
Residential Award (sponsored by Frank Allart)
Winner
Project – The Old War Office Residences, London
Architect – EPR Architects
Architectural Ironmongery – HAF @ John Planck Ltd
Health & Education Award (sponsored by FireDNA)
Winner
Project – Rhodes House, Oxford
Architect – Stanton Williams
Architectural Ironmonger – 3v Architectural Hardware
International Award (sponsored by Norseal)
Winner
Project – Atlantis, The Royal
Interior Designer – GA Design
Architectural Ironmongery – Allgood Ltd
Ethos Award (sponsored by Codelocks)
Winner
Project – Cherry Tree House
Architectural Ironmongery – EM-B Solutions
Product Design & Innovation (Mechanical) Award (sponsored by CES)
Winner
Product – 485 & 585 Concealed Escape Hardware
Manufacturer – ASSA Abloy
Product Design & Innovation (Electronic) Awards (sponsored by ADSA)
Winner
Product – Tedee
Manufacturer – Access2
For more details on all the winning entries, visit www.gai.org.uk/specificationawards.