The ‘grandparent of skyscrapers’ (Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings) is among the winning projects of the RIBA West Midlands Awards 2024, alongside state-of-the-art facilities for scientific research (Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, The University of Warwick). This demonstrates that the area has a rich mix of contemporary architecture, while also celebrating important historic structures. Other winners include a Grade I listed church (Halo Reordering - St. Mary Magdalene Church), a low carbon home (Cwm Barn) and an open-air museum that recognises important local history (Black Country Living Museum).
Presented since 1966, the RIBA Awards set the standard for great architecture across the country.
The Awards were announced at a ceremony this evening, at which Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings was named as winner of RIBA West Midlands Building of the Year Award 2024 (sponsored by EH Smith). The judges said that the project represented “an exemplar of sustainable refurbishment to support the next 100 years of use for a building with a particularly innovative design heritage.”
The 2024 RIBA West Midlands Award winning projects are:
● Black Country Living Museum by Napier Clarke Architects
A new visitor centre for a museum about one of the first industrialised landscapes in Britain
● Cwm Barn by Arbor Architects
Creating a low-carbon, energy-efficient and adaptable approach to family living in a rural context
● Halo Reordering - St. Mary Magdalene Church by Communion Architects
A Grade I listed church made more accessible and fit for the 21st century
● Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, The University of Warwick by Hawkins\Brown
New facilities to allow for the research into medical and life sciences
● Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
A full refurbishment of a hugely important historic structure into a new leisure destination
The 5 projects were selected by the expert jury, who visited all shortlisted projects.
RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki, said:
“This year’s RIBA Award winning schemes showcase the true value of quality architecture, and the positive impact it has on people’s lives. While carefully considering the needs of the environment, these truly remarkable places and spaces deliver for communities, for residents, for visitors, and people of all ages up and down the country. They are pinnacles of design excellence, and show what can be achieved when architects and clients collaborate successfully.”
RIBA West Midlands Jury Chair Jessica Barker, said:
"This year’s winners showcase a positive future for architecture, with sustainability and a fabric-first approach dominating the list. The respect for the agricultural heritage which characterises the West Midlands is also evident in all the winning projects. The conservation work on Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, our West Midlands Building of the Year, is nothing short of exemplary and shows that, along with the community, education and environmental focus of the rest of the winners, localised architecture has a wider reaching impact."
Full list of the regional special awards announced this evening:
● Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings - RIBA West Midlands Project Architect of the Year 2024, RIBA West Midlands Building of the Year 2024, RIBA West Midlands Client of the Year 2024, RIBA West Midlands Conservation Award 2024
● Halo Reordering - St. Mary Magdalene Church - RIBA West Midlands Small Project of the Year 2024
RIBA West Midlands Award winners will now be considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 11 July. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For further press information please contact
Bobby Jewell| bobby@bobby-jewell.com | 07915 566640
Robert Fiehn| rob@robert-fiehn.com | 07814 078946 - High resolution images and jury citations: https://riba.box.com/v/RibaWestMidsWinners2024
- RIBA Special Awards are sponsored by EH Smith and Autodesk.
- The RIBA Awards have been running since 1966 and are judged and presented locally. No matter the shape, size, budget or location, RIBA Award winning schemes set the standard for great architecture all across the country. RIBA Awards are for buildings in the UK by RIBA Chartered Architects and RIBA International Fellows.
- Entries are submitted to the region or nation in which the building is situated. Projects are judged first for RIBA Regional Awards, then RIBA National Awards; the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist is selected from winners of the RIBA National Awards.
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. Follow @RIBA on Twitter for regular updates.
