Royal Mail postmark to celebrate Goldsmith Street Stirling Prize win | Politics

PUBLISHED: 17:26 10 October 2019 | UPDATED: 17:38 10 October 2019

News that a Norwich council estate won the renowned Stirling Prize for architecture has spread even further – after the Royal Mail produced a special postmark to offer its congratulations.

The award-winning Goldsmith Street development in Norwich has been commemorated in a postmark. Pic: Norwich City Council.

The £17m Norwich City Council project was described “an outstanding contribution to British architecture” and “a modest masterpiece” when judges of the Royal Institute of British Architects gave it the award for the best new architecture in the UK.
And its fame has spread, after millions of letters and packages, delivered the length and breadth of the country, were stamped with a special postmark.

The postmark, on post which was sent on Wednesday and Thursday, stated: “Congratulations Goldsmith Street Winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize 2019”.

A spokeswoman for Norwich City Council said: “It was a lovely surprise to see that the Royal Mail are honouring Goldsmith Street in this way.

“This shows what an incredible achievement it was to win the Stirling Prize, especially as the first council housing to be shortlisted for this prestigious award.”

Award winning community built on Goldsmith Street in Norwich.
Byline: Sonya Duncan
Copyright: Archant 2019

The Goldsmith Street homes – a mix of 45 one-bedroom flats, 40 two-bedroom houses, three two-bedroom flats and five four-bedroom flats – were built by RG Carter and designed by architects Mikhail Riches and Cathy Hawley.

The homes were built to eco-friendly Passivhaus standards – ultra-low energy buildings which need little fuel for heating or cooling.

The 2019 RIBA Stirling Prize judges, chaired by Julia Barfield, said: “Goldsmith Street is a modest masterpiece. It is high-quality architecture in its purest most environmentally and socially-conscious form.

“This is proper social housing, over 10 years in the making, delivered by an ambitious and thoughtful council. These desirable, spacious, low-energy properties should be the norm for all council housing.

“Goldsmith Street is a ground-breaking project and an outstanding contribution to British architecture.”

Buildings it beat included the revamped London Bridge Station, a house built of cork in Eton, The Weston at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Nevill Holt Opera in Leicestershire and The Macallan Distillery in Speyside, Scotland.

Previous winners of the prize include the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh and Hastings Pier.

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