Prime Minister's Award shortlist announced

From the summit of Snowdon to a children’s centre in south London, the 22 projects on the shortlist for this year’s Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award show that inspired clients, creative designers and engineers and skilled construction teams are producing outstanding buildings across the country.

The Prime Minister’s Award is sponsored by CABE, the Office of Government Commerce and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It is unique in recognising both efficient procurement and excellent design.

Arts buildings feature prominently. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford retains its Greek revival façade, but its interior has been transformed with a light-filled atrium, beautiful staircase and new galleries which have doubled its display space.

The Hull Truck Theatre’s new home responds to the city’s old warehouses, and the architecture of the new Nottingham Contemporary arts space is inspired by the warehouses of the city’s Lace Market. The V&A Museum’s medieval and renaissance collections are displayed in stunning new spaces, with an undulating glass roof.

The summit of Snowdon presented a highly inhospitable construction site but the new Hafod Eryri visitor centre celebrates the mountain’s history and folklore.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

’I congratulate all those involved in these outstanding projects. They are helping us to enhance the cultural life of the nation and provide better education and healthcare, as well as creating a more sustainable environment. I am convinced that creative design, high-quality construction and efficient procurement make a real difference to quality of life and give us real value for money.’

Good design is supporting the provision of healthcare. At the New Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow, patients are welcomed into a full-height, light-filled glazed public arcade. Kentish Town Health Centre integrates a range of services in flexible spaces with good use of public art. The Waldron places healthcare at the heart of a south east London community with its mixed-use development.

Two bridges have also been shortlisted: technical ingenuity has halted corrosion of cables on the Forth Road Bridge and the deck of Runcorn’s Silver Jubilee Bridge.

Richard Simmons, CABE’s chief executive, added:

’It is hugely encouraging to see the strides made in the quality of public building, whether the new zero carbon homes in Upton Square in Northampton or the UK Supreme Court building in London. We want to see this sustained. In straitened economic times, investing in good-quality, efficient design is the best use of public money.’