The stunning College of the Arts & Society development at Coventry University has been named ‘Building of the Year 2025’ at the RIBA West Midlands Awards.
Praising the innovative design approach which combined former buildings with a striking new extension, the RIBA Awards Jury commented: “Infilling a courtyard between three 1960s Brutalist buildings with a new social space for the College of the Arts and Society has knitted the formerly disparate existing buildings together and connected the College to the city. This new ‘heart’ embodies four key ideas that drive the transformation: integrate, collaborate, connect, showcase.”
Known as the Delia Derbyshire Building, this recently completed £40m facility has enabled the University to continue playing a transformational role in the UK arts and humanities fields. The scheme created a modern, highly flexible teaching space with immersive media facilities, all set within a high-performance learning facility.
The redevelopment amalgamated a number of existing buildings within the university’s campus through a new build centralised hub, combining extensive refurbishment and regeneration, alongside a new modern four-storey building.
Students benefit from a hyper studio designed for cross-disciplinary projects, along with immersive studios featuring cutting-edge technologies, enhancing the faculty’s creative, teaching and learning spaces in a unique environment. The new complex will also be open to the public with a gallery space, café and events atrium where students, staff and visiting artists can showcase their work. The building is located opposite Starley Gardens, an urban park and green space created for the student population and wider community to enjoy.
Working closely with both McLaughlin & Harvey and Lewis & Hickey Architects, our structures and civils specialists in Birmingham provided designs for the new build and refurbishment of the existing adjoining buildings. This saw us develop a flexible, dynamic approach to solving challenges and mitigating issues throughout the design process. With the existing buildings remaining operational until the end of the term, our team focussed on the new build aspects to ensure the campus was able to remain largely operational during the initial project phases.
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