Five projects, chosen from a shortlist of 12, have been successful in the RIBA West Midlands Award 2024, with Hawkins\Brown and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios amongst the winners.

Buildings.

Flaxmill Maltings by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Credit: Daniel Hopkinson. 

The winners of the 2024 RIBA West Midlands Award have been announced, with Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios being named as the region’s building of the year. Judges praised the building and said it represented “an exemplar of sustainable refurbishment to support the next 100 years of use for a building with a particularly innovative design heritage.”

Chosen from a shortlist of 12 projects, the major retrofit project took the main prize as four other winners were announced – view all, below. Each will now go on to be considered for the RIBA National Awards, announced on 11 July, which will in turn, be used to compile the shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize, drawn later this year.

Speaking in a statement, RIBA Regional Director of London, 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.”

Up close: RIBA West Midlands Award winner
Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

Ampetheatre

Photographs by Daniel Hopkinson

What the jury said:
“Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios have conserved the enduring elements of both uses to provide four floors of flexible working space, while cleverly weaving in a contemporary layer to accommodate a visitor centre and café.

As part of the restoration and reuse, there must be a special mention of the engineering, by AKT II. The structural strengthening design they devised for the existing fragile cast iron frame has enabled it to withstand additional load capacity and alternative load paths while retaining its unique character. The cast iron beams were strengthened through cross building ties, new structural screeds, and stirrups, which tied the fragile cast iron frame back to the newly reinforced masonry.

Specialist manufacturers and suppliers have been integral to not only the conservation but also the reuse and the heritage-led regeneration of the area. The next phase of 120 new sustainable homes is set to add to the regeneration benefits of the workspace and visitors’ centre.

The jury were hugely impressed by the scale, dedication, and ambition of this project. The design of the new-build interventions to facilitate the workspaces references the industrial heritage of the past, but also breathes in new life and use, making the building work again as an employment space and supporting the local economy. The conservation approach has been nothing short of exemplary. For all these reasons, the project architect, Tim Greensmith, has been awarded RIBA West Midlands Project Architect of the Year.

The project delivered a host of volunteering, training and local employment opportunities, ranging from construction skills to archival research. The client, Historic England, led it not only to save an important building from dereliction, but also as an opportunity for sharing, to further learning and expertise for the whole conservation sector. The relationship between the design team and client has culminated in a building of national importance for its conservation, ingenuity, and forward-facing reuse and adaptation. It raises the ambition for the whole sector of sustainable reuse for historical buildings, which is of national importance.”

Full list of the West Midlands ‘Special’ Awards: 

  • 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

The 2024 RIBA West Midlands Award winning projects:

  • Black Country Living Museum by Napier Clarke Architects
  • Cwm Barn by Arbor Architects
  • Halo Reordering – St. Mary Magdalene Church by Communion Architects
  • Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, The University of Warwick by Hawkins\Brown
  • Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios