The Royal Institute of British Architects has created the new prize to encourage architects to refurbishing existing buildings, rather than demolishing them to create new-builds, the RIBA Reinvention Award. The School of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Wolverhampton has been placed in the shortlist among three other projects for the award, a shortlist that includes 2 Midlands projects.
The project was the recipient of 3 RIBA West Midlands Awards in 2023, including Project Architect of the Year and Client of the Year, in addition to an RIBA Regional Award. It has also received the Conservation & Rejuvenation award at the Constructing Excellence Awards, the Pagabo framework provider named the project as its ‘best project above £15m’ and the project was previously shortlisted for the AJ100 Project of the Year.
The brand new accolade recognises achievement in the creative reuse of existing buildings through transformative projects that improve environmental, social, or economic sustainability.
Championed by RIBA President Simon Allford, the Reinvention Award shines a light on the importance of retrofitting and its contribution towards achieving net zero. The four shortlisted buildings are all commended as exceptional examples of creative reuse, but the judges also note that each project demonstrates how innovative architecture can help to address wider societal issues.
The inaugural winner of the Reinvention Award 2023 will be announced at the RIBA Stirling Prize ceremony for the UK’s best new building on Thursday 19 October 2023 at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester.
You can read more about the award below:
