Does Cardiff Have the Best New Buildings in Britain?

The Civic Trust Awards has launched its 2010 national campaign to judge the best new buildings in Britain.

The Trust invites businesses and community groups throughout the country to nominate the best and most innovative buildings they have created in the last two years. Judging will then take place on a national scale if the local contenders are successful.

The Awards are unique as they take into account the benefit each project brings to the community as well as the innovation of the architecture and the quality of the environmental design.

Entries are invited from schemes of all types and sizes and include building projects, landscape, regeneration schemes, public art and urban design. Nominations should have made an impact on the local environment and been built between 1 September 2007 and 1 September 2009.

The Civic Trust, founded in 1957, started the awards as part of the trust’s founding principle - to improve the built environment. Local Authorities are asked to participate by identifying potential winners and encouraging them to enter. Cardiff has a long history of assisting in this with the Senedd, the Cardiff Bay Barrage landscaping and the New Theatre having been past winners.

The Cardiff judges will be community representatives who will canvas local opinion and judge what the building means to its community. Architects, planners and access advisors provide the technical and professional support.

Councillor Margaret Jones, Executive Member for Environment said:

“This is a key opportunity for us to show off the best of Cardiff architecture and design with local buildings and schemes which have a positive impact on our environment”

All entries should be made online via the website www.civictrustawards.org.uk