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Birmingham sixth form college judged this year’s best public building

15 October 2009

Contact: Tessa Kordeczka, 020 7070 6769

Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College in Birmingham has won this year’s Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award.

The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, congratulating all those involved, said:

‘This award is all about how creative design and high-quality construction lead to better public services. Joseph Chamberlain College is an excellent example of this. Students, teachers and all those working and living around the college can take great pride in this first-class building. I am sure it will inspire all who use it and make a real difference to the community.’ 

The beautiful, protected and calm environment created by Nicholas Hare Architects belies its tough inner-city surroundings. The college opened in September 2008 and now has 1,600 students. It has inspired more young people, coming from a range of backgrounds, to study post-16. The college is heavily over-subscribed and the number of girls opting to study has increased. AS level results for the first-year intake have seen an improvement over previous years.

The college also offers the local community a library, adult learning and sports facilities, and has already triggered improvements to what was a very inhospitable area.

The college exterior is imposing, with a continuous curved façade towards a busy roundabout, and welcoming, with a tree-lined entrance leading from the road. A sequence of inner spaces, including a leafy courtyard and semi-circular garden, leaves traffic and noise behind. Natural light predominates, with glazed walls to the courtyards, double-height spaces and atrium light wells.

Elly Tobin, the college’s principal, said:

‘Never in their wildest dreams would these young people have expected such a wonderful building. It makes them feel proud and good about themselves. It gives them a sense of their place in the community and a sense of responsibility. They have been given something special and they want to do well and give something back.’

Richard Simmons, CABE chief executive, added:

‘Some say that, with tightened budgets, good design is a luxury we can’t afford. Exactly the opposite is true. In straitened economic times, investing in high quality is the best use of public money. That’s the lesson we should take from Joseph Chamberlain College.’

The Prime Minster’s Award recognises effective delivery and value for money as well as high-quality design. The success of Joseph Chamberlain College is due to the highly collaborative approach adopted by the college, the designers and the supply team led by BAM Construction. Together they have achieved a flexible and sustainable building, with energy use minimised by passive means.

The award is part of the British Construction Industry Awards. It is sponsored jointly by CABE, the Office of Government Commerce and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Notes to editors

• Images of the Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College are available here: http://images.cabe.org.uk/BMS?link=10EBACDB
  If you have any problems, please contact Katherine Heaton, kheaton@cabe.org.uk, 020 7070 6768. Please credit images to Alan Williams. (Credit information is found under 'Meta Info' tab, 'Copyright/credit line' field.)
• Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College
  Nicholas Hare Architects LLP
  BAM Construction
• The winner was announced by the Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on the evening of 14 October 2009 at the British Construction Industry Awards presentation at Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
• Twenty-four projects were shortlisted for the 2009 Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award:
  • Ashford Ring Road project, Ashford, Kent
  • The Bridge Academy, Hackney, Londo
  • Brigg Line freight enhancement, Brigg, North Lincolnshire
  • Bristol Metropolitan College, Bristol
  • Cathedral Green Footbridge, Derby
  • Clackmannanshire Bridge, Kincardine, Scotland
  • Creative Exchange, St Neots, Cambridgeshire
  • The Deck, National Theatre, London
  • Dunraven School, new four-court sports hall, Streatham, London
  • Ham flood defence scheme, Ham, Taunton, Somerset
  • Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry
  • Infinity Bridge, Stockton on Tees
  • Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College, Birmingham
  • The Level Centre, Matlock, Derbyshire
  • Lewisburn Bridge, Kielder Village, Northumberland
  • Liverpool canal link, Liverpool
  • M6 Extension: Carlisle to Guards Mill, Cumbria
  • M8 Harthill footbridge replacement, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
  • University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus extension, Nottingham
  • Oldham Schools PFI Project, Oldham and Manchester
  • Whitehead Building, Goldsmiths, University of London, London
  • Wood Lane Station, London
  • Docklands Light Railway Woolwich Arsenal Extension, London
  • ZEBRA@Lion House, Alnwick, Northumberland
    Details of each of these schemes, and more information about the Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award, including the judging panel, can be found at: www.betterpublicbuilding.org.uk
• The Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award is a special category of the British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA) and is sponsored jointly by CABE, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). For further information, see www.betterpublicbuilding.org.uk. Now in its ninth year, the award recognises high-quality design and effective delivery, including efficient procurement; economic and social value; good team work between client, designer and contractor; sound financial management and whole-life value for money; and sustainability.
• CABE is the government’s advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. As a public body, we encourage policymakers to create places that work for people. We help local planners apply national design policy and offer expert advice to developers and architects. We show public sector clients how to commission buildings that meet the needs of their users. And we seek to inspire the public to demand more from their buildings and spaces. Advising, influencing and inspiring, we work to create well-designed, welcoming places. www.cabe.org.uk
• CABE: ten year review
• The Office of Government Commerce is an independent office of HM Treasury, established to help Government deliver best value from its spending. OGC provides policy standards and guidance on best practice in procurement, projects and estate management, and monitors and challenges departments' performance against these standards. It promotes and fosters collaborative procurement across the public sector to deliver better value for money and public services; and it provides innovative ways to develop Government's commercial and procurement capability, including leadership of the Government Procurement Service. www.ogc.gov.uk
• The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to succeed. To achieve this it will foster world-class universities and promote an open global economy. www.bis.gov.uk
  

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