york minster centre of excellence
york minster
in a garden with a cathedral at its heart is a communal quad within a garden of craft communities local, global, elders and apprentices,
all living and learning in the flourishing of heritage craft
Winner, AR Future Award, 2023
Lord Mayor’s Prize, York Design Awards, 2025
YorkMix People’s Choice, York Design Awards, 2025
RPTI Awards for Planning Excellence, 2025
Beautiful Buildings Awards 2025
MacEwen Award 2026
WAN Awards 2026
RIBA Yorkshire Awards 2026 - Technology Hub
RIBA Yorkshire Awards 2026 - Heritage Quad
Building Of The Year RIBA Yorkshire Awards 2026 - Heritage Quad
Sustainability Award 2026 - Heritage Quad
The world-class Centre of Excellence for research, education, and training consists of two buildings, the Heritage Quad and the Technology Hub, housing masons’ workshops, new state-of-the art digital fabrication tools, a drawing room, and a hall of residence for interns and international collaborators.
In the current context of declining craft skills, with only 13 workshops remaining in the 42 English cathedrals, the need to sustain these facilities and the heritage skills have become increasingly urgent.
The first of its kind worldwide, the Centre of Excellence has been developed through international cooperation and an apprenticeship programme, establishing York Minster as the vanguard of heritage craft and modern technology. These two buildings are immensely important, they will inspire future generations of craftspeople, support research into advanced tools and processes, and preserve best practice for the future of our heritage.
The building and roof geometry have been developed to optimise northern light, urban vistas, passive ventilation, structural efficiency, and solar orientation. The 1-storey Heritage Quad is set in the precinct’s heritage setting, between the city wall and the Cathedral. The new timber structure repurposes the structure of the existing U-shaped buildings and boundary wall. The roof lifts to invite public viewing into the workshop atop the city wall, and lifts to frame distant views of the cathedral from within the workshop.
The timber Technology Hub houses a new 5-axis CNC saw alongside other large-scale machinery, bringing together a community of workshops for glaziers, joiners, plumbers, and electricians. The Centre of Excellence will foster understanding of our shared heritage while nurturing the living community of clergy and craftspeople at York Minster.
Closer to the cathedral, the Technology Hub utilises existing workshop buildings. The proposed timber-roofed workshop supports the facilities of masons, electricians, plumbers, joiners, heritage builders, and estate management that flank the site. The aim was to create an inspiring workshop that improves the daily workings of the different teams while showcasing advanced digital machinery.
The Technology Hub features a parametric arched roof: a primary steel frame with glulam timber infill spanning 23 metres in a series of curved shells, designed to optimise natural light and create a bright, open workspace. The structure incorporates salvaged steelwork within the new structural arrangements, exemplifying the project's commitment to reuse.
In both the Heritage Quad and the Technology Hub, existing structures have been reused and renewed to minimise embodied carbon. Natural light and ventilation, combined with photovoltaics and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), deliver a key project en route to operational net-zero carbon, providing electricity for daytime use of the workshop machines.
The Heritage Quad comprises six environmental zones, each served by air source heat pumps powered by PV panels situated discreetly behind the parapet of the new storage building. A 14.19kWp PV array was installed at the Heritage Quad, with a 34.2kWp flexible PV array integrated into the Technology Hub's distinctive arched roof—together generating approximately 38,400 kWh annually.
“The Centre of Excellence will give the works department the facilities needed to thrive and to become an international centre of excellence for heritage craft skill and heritage estate management. We will work in partnership with other institutions, not least the University of York and City of York Council to continue to build the city’s profile as a world class leader in the care of heritage assets. Importantly for York Minster, this critical programme of activity is essential if we are to secure the long term environmental, financial and heritage sustainability of York Minster for future generations to enjoy as we do today.“
- Alex McCallion, Director of Works and Precinct and Programme lead for the York Minster Precinct Neighbourhood Plan
client york minster
location york, uk
status planning granted 2022, completion 2024
contractor simpson
environmental / m+e engineer integration
structural engineer webb yates
planning savills
lighting design seam
timber consultant buckland timber
heritage donald insalls