A £9 million regeneration project to turn a historic former pottery into a visitor centre has won the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects West Midlands Award.
Middleport Pottery, in Stoke-on-Trent, won the crown at last night's annual ceremony in Digbeth and will now be considered for a national award in the summer.
Middleport Pottery, in Burslem, was built in 1888 and is the home of world-famous Burleigh brand.
In 2011, The Prince's Regeneration Trust stepped into save it from closure after which it underwent a £9 million restoration, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
Four other buildings were named as West Midlands regional winners:
- River Studio in Warwickshire by Sjölander da Cruz Architects
- Southwater One in Telford by Associated Architects
- Herefordshire Archive and Record Centre by Architype
- Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge by KKE Architects
Five special category winners were chosen from the above regional winners, also named last night:
Conservation
Middleport Pottery in Stoke-On-Trent by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Sustainability
River Studio in Warwickshire by Sjolander da Cruz Architects
Project Architect
Rupert Walshe at Associated Architects for Southwater One in Telford
Client
Telford and Wrekin Council for Southwater One in Telford
Small Project
Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge by KKE Architects
Chairman of the judging panel Phil Howl said: "The 2015 jury had a fascinating and varied collection of buildings to visit.
"Many were commissioned at the depth of the recession in what must have been demanding circumstances and doubtless with challenging budgets.
"It was therefore very rewarding to see how the architects had worked creatively with their clients to extract the greatest potential from their budgets to produce such well-crafted and thoughtful buildings.
"Sustainability was high on the agenda and the fact that several of the buildings had become catalysts for regeneration of an area demonstrates the wider value that great architecture can achieve."
Last night's award ceremony was held at Spotlight in Digbeth and special guests included former Aston Villa player Stiliyan Petrov.
All five RIBA West Midlands winners will be considered for a national award to be announced in June.
The shortlist for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the national winners later in the year.
The new Library of Birmingham made it to the final shortlist for the 2014 Stirling Prize but missed out to the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool.
