New pier ideas win through at BURA pier competition

The 'Atomik Pier' by Atomikarchitecture with XC02 and 'The Beachcomber' by Ian Hughes are the winners of the BURA 21 Century Piers Competition.

The Atomik Pier - winner of the professional category - was picked out as the design with the greatest potential for success as a real pier. The concept represents a realistic, sustainable, flexible use of space while still having a very strong and exciting identity of its own.

The Beachcomber – winner of the non-professional category – encapsulates how a pier should not only attract tourists but should also benefit its town and act as a catalyst for regeneration. Ian Hughes was able to provide figures on projected economic benefits and information on the environmental impact of his concept.

Jon Ladd, Chief Executive of BURA comments: 'We had a remarkable shortlist of entries and our judges had the unenviable task of choosing two winners. However, these deserving designs showed sensitivity to the role that a pier should have to the town it links to and how it should relate to the local community who live alongside it - not forgetting what it can offer to those who travel from afar to visit it.

'This competition has generated ideas on how to make piers sustainable both environmentally and economically and how they could successfully contribute to the renewal and regeneration of Britain’s coastal towns during the 21st century.’

The design competition, which was non-specific in terms of place, aimed to generate imaginative uses for the pier, stimulate ideas on how they could function sustainably while still retaining their status as symbols of the British seaside. Entries fell into two categories, those from professionals and those from non-professionals.

Five shortlisted entries from each category went before an expert panel of judges, including architect Dr. Ken Yeang, Director of Llewelyn Davies Yeang with Roger Lewis, Chairman of the Berkeley Group; Wayne Hemingway, Urban Designer, Hemingway Design; Stuart Smith, Director (Consultancy), Wood Holmes Group; David Bateman, a piers expert, and Jon Ladd, BURA’s Chief Executive making up the rest of the judging panel.

The winner of each category will have the opportunity to present their idea in Blackpool in November.