Prefabrication Award

No 7 Brindleyplace, Birmingham

Architect Porphyrios Associates/The Weedon Partnership
Bricks Charnwood Forest
Brickwork contractor Manchester Brick & Precast

No 7 is the latest addition to the amazing conglomeration of brick buildings in the heart of Birmingham that is Brindleyplace. Providing 85,000 ft² of office accommodation, this serene Renaissance palace of a building has facades that incorporate precast, 215 mm thick skew-back arches over windows at first-floor level and above. At ground-floor level, impressive giant precast semi-circular arches support the building and create a pleasant arcade.

The use of structural brickwork arches with their excellent detailing and finishing, particularly the giant arches around the building, impressed the judges. They saw it as a fine example of how precast brickwork can both simplify on-site construction and set a standard for in-situ brickwork to emulate.

Runner-up

Sir Thomas Fairfax Bridge

Architect Cheshire Engineering Services, Cheshire County Council
Bricks Baggeridge
Brickwork contractor Macrete