Sheffield Design Awards 2018: People's choice category opens for voting

The biennial prizegiving '“ organised by the Sheffield Society of Architects and the Sheffield Civic Trust '“ is now in its 10th year, and a ceremony is happening in October when honours will be presented in a range of categories.

One of the sections, '˜people's choice', relies on outside votes, and the full list of 34 entries to pick from has now been published. It features all the nominations received this year; the judges' shortlist, released last month, was whittled down to 16 candidates.

The £60 million Ikea superstore in Carbrook, St James' Retail Park on the old Norton College site '“ which represented a '˜marked change in retail park design', according to the architects '“ and the expanded Rising Sun pub at Nether Green are among the potential winners that only the public can elect.

Residential developments were nominated, such as an unusual timber-framed extension to a 1930s semi-detached house on Rupert Road, Nether Edge.

Schemes that will also be looked at by the judging panel include the Olympic Legacy Park, on the site of the former Don Valley Stadium '“ a landscaped public space described as '˜attractive to inward investment' '“ and Albert Works, a historic former cutlery forge on Sidney Street that has been repurposed as sleek offices for marketing firm Jaywing.

Krynkl, a development made from recycled shipping containers at Shalesmoor that contains a gym, rooftop bar and Jöro, a Michelin-approved Scandi-inspired restaurant, has made the cut alongside the Site Gallery, the Brown Street venue which has trebled in size with a £2.7 million extension. Public, the cocktail bar run by the Rockingham Group in the former gents' toilets underneath Sheffield Town Hall, and the Porter Brook Pocket Park '“ an area created by the council on Sidney Street that doubles as a flood prevention measure '“ are on both lists too.

Nominations have come from beyond Sheffield as well '“ three schemes at Chatsworth are in the running, as is the National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster and the George Wright boutique hotel in Rotherham.

The winner of the people's choice award in 2016 was Foodhall, a volunteer-run '˜pay-as-you-feel' restaurant on Eyre Street.

Samantha Birchall of the civic trust said: 'Sheffield Design Awards have for 10 years spotlighted and celebrated the best of architectural and public space design in Sheffield. We want to hear what members of the public think about the entries and which in their view make a substantial contribution to their environment.'

Dan Brown, chair of the awards committee, added: 'The standard of entries was felt to be very strong and we look forward to finding out whether or not the popular choice matches that of the judging panels.'

Visit www.sheffieldsocietyofarchitects.org.uk/sda2018publicchoice to vote. The verdict will be announced at Trafalgar Warehouse on October 25.