Howells also scoops two awards for Birmingham office scheme and a cafe at a grade I-listed country house
BDP’s transformation of two brutalist buildings for Coventry University has been named as RIBA’s West Midlands Building of the Year.
The College of the Arts & Society scheme picked up the top prize at the regional awards at a ceremony yesterday evening which also saw Howells scoop two awards.
BDP’s winning project added a contemporary extension linking the Maurice Foss and Graham Sutherland buildings to create one larger building which will be used to support the creative industries in Coventry.
The renamed Delia Derbyshire building contains open-plan learning spaces aiming to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration across various fields including architecture, design and media.
It also includes lecture theatres, studio and workshop areas, immersive media rooms and collaborative spaces tailored to accommodate different learning needs.
Howells was recognised for One Centenary Way, an office building in Birmingham which won Project Architect of the Year for Simon Pope, and a new cafe and kitchen at the grade I-listed Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire.
The night’s other winners were University of Staffordshire Woodlands Nursery by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, which won both the Sustainability Award and Client of the Year, and a renovation of a 1930s fire station into 28 homes and retail space by KKE Architects.
Tim Collett, associate professor at University of Nottingham and RIBA West Midlands jury chair, said the winning projects “demonstrate how constraints can become opportunities - elevating and enhancing the inherent potential of each site”.
“Whether spanning a road tunnel, replacing a car park, or transforming underperforming existing structures into dynamic and exciting places to study and live, these projects deliver outstanding value,” he said.
> Also read: Nine projects shortlisted for RIBA West Midlands Awards 2025
RIBA president Muyiwa Oki added: “This year’s winners exemplify architecture’s power to transform—turning spaces into places of connection, creativity, and care. Spanning the length of the UK and diverse in form and function, our 2025 winners show a deep sensitivity to place and a strong coherence of thought between all teams involved.
“Individually these projects inspire and uplift, but collectively, they remind us that architects do far more than design buildings, they shape the way we live, work and connect.”
RIBA West Midlands Award winners will now be considered for a RIBA National Award, which will be announced on 10 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.
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