PM's Award Finalists 2008
Winner 2008: Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital
The Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital won the 2008 Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award.
Known locally as the Alex, the hospital has been providing pioneering paediatric care for 120 years. Now, with the double the number of beds, more children can be treated closer to home in an environment designed to deliver 21st century healthcare.
The judges said: 'Great ingenuity was needed to create this technically demanding building which will transform children's healthcare in Sussex and beyond.'
2008 finalists
Barking Learning Centre, London
"Modern public space at its best. This mixed-use development shows that we can be optimistic about the possibilities for the Thames Gateway."
Castleford Bridge, West Yorkshire
"A lovely sweeping Bridge offering the chance to linger on imaginatively designed benches."
Cleveleys coast protection, Lancashire
"The spectacular sweeping steps add drama and beauty to coastal protection - a terrific piece of public space."
Cremorne Riverside Centre, London
"The frank use of raw materials will appeal to the rugged enthusiasms of those using the centre."
Dartford Creek Frontages Project, Erith, Kent
"Natural materials have been used to provide a very sustainable solution to stabilisation and flood protection."
DLR Langdon Park station, London
"An interesting and particularly witty addition to the canon of DLR stations. "
Hexham flood alleviation scheme, Northumberland
"A sympathetic solution - skilfully integrated into the landscape."
Lymington New Forest Hospital, Hampshire
"A delightful, refreshing building with the friendly and humane qualities normally associated with a cottage hospital."
Manchester Civil Justice Centre
"The procurement method is a triumph for court services: an architectural competition, followed by a separate competition for the developer, has resulted in a modern rival to the Royal Courts of Justice."
Newbiggin Bay coast protection scheme, Northumberland
"An intelligent solution to a serious problem, bringing huge benefits to Newbiggin."
Newlyn Art Gallery, Cornwall
"A perfect minimalist addition to a gallery where the view is on a par with the art."
Riverside Bridge, Cambridge
"Another delightful bridge over the River Cam - but this one of the 21st century."
Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital, Brighton, East Sussex
"The hospital adds the right touch of gaiety to both the children's experience and the Brighton seafront."
Royal Festival Hall, London
"The Royal Festival Hall has always had its doors open; now, passionately restored, it once again offers a ravishing internal public space."
St Marylebone CE School Performing Arts Centre, London
"A brilliantly inventive use of a tiny site in central London to provide the most airy and spacious volumes."
Sheffield inner relief road, South Yorkshire
"A new generation of relief road that appears more like a boulevard than a bypass."
Shetland Museum and Archives, Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland
"A modern solution using traditional materials and techniques, fitting perfectly into its surroundings and providing the impetus for regeneration of a previously derelict area."
Young Vic, London
"The refurbishment is a seductive combination of 'as found' and raw, new materials."