Awards
The Daphne Steele Building takes home Design Excellence Award at Insider Yorkshire Property Awards
by AHR
We're thrilled to receive this recognition, celebrating the best in regional design and honouring projects that showcase innovation, quality, and a lasting positive impact.
For us, it is a valued acknowledgement of our architecture and interior design teams, whose collaboration and creativity have helped shape a building that makes a real difference in healthcare education.
A pioneering environment for healthcare education
From the outset, our vision for the Daphne Steele Building was to design more than just a facility. We wanted to create an environment that places health, wellbeing and the student experience at its core, while also responding to the wider needs of the community.
Drawing on our cross-sector design experience in healthcare, education, and workplace design, the building brings together diverse facilities under one roof to support learning, research and clinical practice.
Key features include:
- High-fidelity simulation suites, giving students hands-on, practical training for real-world healthcare scenarios
- Community-facing clinics, offering improved access to care for local people and strengthening engagement between the University and the wider region
- Specialist life sciences laboratories, providing cutting-edge environments for teaching and research, and bridging the gap between academia and frontline healthcare delivery
This holistic approach has created a facility that not only supports evolving teaching methods but also delivers long-term value to Huddersfield and the wider Yorkshire region.
Winning the Design Excellence Award is a fantastic achievement and one we are very proud of.
The Daphne Steele Building is a true example of how thoughtful design can transform experiences, from supporting the student journey to improving community access to healthcare. It represents the very best of what can be achieved when architecture, interior design, and cross-sector expertise come together.”
Robert Hopkins
Director and Project Lead
Celebrating collaboration
The award is also a reflection of the collaborative partnership between us and the University of Huddersfield.
Working closely with the University, we set out to design a building that would celebrate the legacy of Daphne Steele, the UK’s first Black matron, and reflect her pioneering commitment to care and compassion.
The recognition at the Yorkshire Property Awards truly underscores our ability to design and deliver groundbreaking places that make a real difference.
By bringing together education, healthcare and research in one pioneering building, the Daphne Steele Building demonstrates how our practice continues to lead in creating environments that inspire, connect and improve lives.
Stay up to date with all our latest practice and project news, including award wins, by following us on social media.
Frequently asked questions
The Daphne Steele Building is a pioneering healthcare education facility at the University of Huddersfield. It combines teaching, research, and community-facing healthcare services under one roof, designed to support students, staff, and the wider community.
The building is named after Daphne Steele, the UK’s first Black matron, and reflects her legacy of compassion and care. It also represents a new benchmark in healthcare education by providing simulation suites, life sciences labs, and public-facing clinics in one integrated space.
The building was designed by AHR’s architecture and interior design teams, working in close collaboration with the University of Huddersfield. Their expertise across healthcare, education, and workplace design helped shape an environment that enhances student learning and community wellbeing.
The building won the Design Excellence Award at the Yorkshire Property Awards 2025, recognising its architectural innovation, quality, and positive impact on both students and the community.
Students benefit from high-fidelity simulation suites that replicate real-world healthcare scenarios, specialist labs for teaching and research, and collaborative learning spaces designed to enhance wellbeing and academic success.
The inclusion of community-facing clinics provides local people with improved access to healthcare services, while also creating opportunities for students to gain valuable hands-on experience in clinical practice.
Posted on:
Sept 19th 2025
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