23rd July 2025
Hull’s rich maritime heritage is once again in the spotlight as the newly created visitor centre at North End Shipyard has been shortlisted for the Sustainable and Social Impact Award at the Insider Yorkshire Property Awards 2025.
Designed by Purcell Architects on behalf of Hull City Council, the visitor centre will tell the powerful story of the city’s shipbuilding legacy and the Arctic Corsair, Hull’s last remaining sidewinder trawler. The centre is part of a major regeneration project that celebrates Hull’s maritime past while setting new standards for sustainability in cultural buildings.
The awards, which recognise excellence in the property sector across Yorkshire, will be announced on Thursday 18 September at New Dock Hall in Leeds.
The visitor centre is one of four finalists in the Sustainable and Social Impact category, competing against:
- Baytree Leeds, a logistics development (Glencar Construction, Baytree Logistics Properties, Chetwoods, Hydrock, Savills, KAM, Burrows Graham)
- Leeds II, Latitude Blue (Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher (CJCT), MRG)
- Radisson Blu, Sheffield (Sheffield City Council, Queensberry Real Estate, HLM Architects, McLaughlin & Harvey, Arup, Turner & Townsend, RPP, HOP Engineering)
The judges are seeking projects that demonstrate outstanding commitment to sustainability or social impact in 2024/25—whether through environmental innovation, placemaking, community benefit, or the creation of new employment or housing.
The North End Shipyard visitor centre is set to become one of the most energy-efficient cultural buildings in the UK, achieving Passivhaus certification, which means it requires little or no energy for heating. The centre will serve as the permanent home of the Arctic Corsair, which will be preserved in dry-dock to allow visitors to fully appreciate her scale and significance.
Councillor Mike Ross, Leader of Hull City Council, said: “We’re incredibly proud to see the North End Shipyard visitor centre recognised on this shortlist.
“This project is not only about preserving Hull’s maritime heritage - it’s about creating a sustainable, inclusive space that brings people together and tells our story in new and inspiring ways. Being shortlisted is a testament to the hard work and vision of everyone involved.”
Owen Plummer, Associate Architect at Purcell, said: “Purcell is delighted to be working with Hull City Council in our collective vision of sustainably designing places where people can belong, and we are proud that the visitor centre has been shortlisted for this award.
“The placemaking rejuvenation of the North End Shipyard not only celebrates Hull’s remarkable maritime heritage and associated social impact; it does so with innovative sustainability at its heart, in recognition of and response to the climate emergency.”
The Arctic Corsair and the visitor centre form a key part of Hull Maritime, a major heritage project funded by Hull City Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
