The £43 million refurbishment of two Brutalist buildings at Coventry University by BDP, was one of five projects in the West Midlands to pick up regional awards, and was praised by the jury for delivering ‘outstanding value for the university with a light touch’. Selected from a shortlist of nine projects, the other winners included two by Howells: a new café and kitchen at the National Trust’s Grade-I listed Hanbury Hall; and the One Centenary Way offices, built over a busy road tunnel in Birmingham, for which Simon Pope was named West Midlands Project Architect of the Year. Also on the list are KKE Architects’ conversion of a 1930s fire station in Worcester. and a carbon-neutral, on-campus day nursery for the University of Staffordshire by FCBS, which also scooped the region's sustainability and client of the year awards.Advertisement There was no place among the five winners for Invisible House, an intriguing all-mirrored home by BPN Architects or the Williamson House in Warwickshire, built on stilts and designed by John Pardey Architects. Chair of the RIBA West Midlands and associate professor at the University of Nottingham Tim Collett said the winning projects showed how constraints could ‘become opportunities ... elevating and enhancing the inherent potential of each site’. He added: ‘Whether spanning a road tunnel, replacing a car park or transforming underperforming existing structures into dynamic and exciting places to study and live, these projects deliver outstanding value. ‘From city making to people making, they enrich lives through new sustainable approaches – from ground-cooled fresh air to locally sourced oak. It is heartening to see successful collaboration with exceptional clients deliver projects that make such significant contributions to the quality of the built environment in the West Midlands.’ Speaking about the West Midlands announcement – and ahead of the institute’s other regions revealing their winners over the coming weeks – RIBA president Muyiwa Oki said: ‘This year’s winners exemplify architecture’s power to transform, turning spaces into places of connection, creativity, and care.Advertisement ‘Spanning the length of the UK and diverse in form and function, our 2025 winners show a deep sensitivity to place and a strong coherence of thought between all teams involved. Individually, these projects inspire and uplift, but collectively, they remind us that architects do far more than design buildings; they shape the way we live, work and connect.’ All regional winners will be considered for RIBA national awards, which will be announced on 10 July. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the national award-winning projects later in the year, with the winner announced in October. Winners of 2025 RIBA West Midlands architecture awards Coventry University, College of Arts & Society by BDP Hanbury Hall by Howells Old Fire Station by KKE Architects One Centenary Way by Howells University of Staffordshire Woodlands Nursery by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios