BAFTA hosts premiere of Belfast construction firm's ‘Building Culture’ documentary..'We were humbled to be joined by more than 150 people'
The short film celebrates Gilbert-Ash’s collaboration behind five Stirling Prize-shortlisted architectural landmarks — from the Everyman Theatre to the National Portrait Gallery — honouring the partnerships and craftsmanship shaping the UK’s most inspiring buildings
The premiere of a short documentary film commissioned by Northern Ireland construction and fit out company Gilbert-Ash has taken place at the headquarters of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in central London.
Building Culture is a celebration of five iconic buildings, all of which were shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Stirling Prize, with the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool named winner of the prestigious award for architecture in 2014.
The other projects showcased in the film are the National Portrait Gallery in London, Cambridge Central Mosque as well as the Lyric Theatre and Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre, both in Northern Ireland.
A key focus of Building Culture is to shine a light on the levels of collaboration required to bring ambitious designs to life as buildings which make a difference to the people who use them and the communities they serve.
In addition to the premiere, the event also included a Q&A session with some of the film’s contributors which was hosted by the BBC’s culture and media editor, Katie Razzall.
The panel included Ray Hutchinson, managing director of Gilbert-Ash in Belfast, Jamie Fobert, the architect responsible for the landmark refurbishment of the National Portrait Gallery along with Dr Tim Winter, chair of trustees of Cambridge Central Mosque and Sarah Ogle, marketing and communications director, Everyman Theatre.
Ray said: "These five projects represent some of the finest work we have completed at Gilbert-Ash. We have been privileged to work alongside some of the UK’s finest organisations and architects on these projects.
"Each set of designs challenged our teams and pushed the boundaries of what could be successfully constructed but through partnership and collaboration we all worked as one to deliver outstanding buildings for our clients.
"It was an honour to watch our work being celebrated on the big screen at the world-famous headquarters of BAFTA and we were humbled to be joined by more than 150 people from across the design and construction industry– it was a true celebration of collaboration and excellence."
Gilbert-Ash’s portfolio of landmark projects continues to grow with the ongoing redevelopment of Tate Liverpool and a major refurbishment of RIBA’s Grade II listed London headquarters.