List for best public-funded building includes schools, bridges – and an extension to the M6

A landscaped ring road, a canal link and a motorway extension are among the shortlisted projects for the prime minister’s Better Public Building awards 2009.

The annual award is given to the best publicly-funded building completed in the past year, and recognises successes in civil engineering and traditional building.

This year, Capita Symonds’ M6 extension in Cumbria is among the shortlisted projects, alongside Whitelaw Turkington’s Ashford ring road project and a canal link in Liverpool designed by Arup.

Several schools make the shortlist, including BDP’s Bridge Academy in Hackney and Wilkinson Eyre’s Bristol Metropolitan College, one of the first BSF schools to come to completion.

Bridge designers are also recognised, including Ramboll for its Cathedral Green footbridge in Derby and Expedition Engineering for the Infinity Bridge in Stockton-on-Tees.

Gordon Brown, the prime minister, said: “These projects show how creative design can make a real difference to how buildings and places work and can deliver public buildings that the community can take pride in.”

The 26 shortlisted projects were:

Ashford ring road project, Ashford, Kent by Whitelaw Turkington

The Bridge Academy, Hackney, London by Building Design Partnership

Brigg Line freight enhancement, Brigg, North Lincolnshire by Arup

Bristol Metropolitan College, Bristol by Wilkinson Eyre Architects

Cathedral Green Footbridge, Derby by Ramboll

Clackmannanshire Bridge, Kincardine, Scotland by Scott Wilson, with Benaim

Creativexchange, St Neots, Cambridgeshire by 5th Studio

The Deck, National Theatre, London by A-EM Studio Ltd

Dunraven School sports hall, Lambeth, London by SCABAL (Sall, Cullinan and Buck Architects Ltd)

Ham flood defence scheme, Ham, Taunton, Somerset by Atkins

Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry by Pringle Richards Sharratt

Infinity Bridge, Stockton on Tees by Expedition Engineering

Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College, Birmingham by Nicholas Hare Architects

The Level Centre, Matlock, Derbyshire by Clash Associates

Lewisburn Bridge, Kielder Village, Northumberland by Forestry Civil Engineering

Liverpool canal link, Liverpool by Arup

M6 Extension: Carlisle to Guards Mill, Cumbria by Capita Symonds

M8 Harthill footbridge replacement, North Lanarkshire, Scotland by Buro Happold

University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus extension, Nottingham by Make Architects

Oldham Schools PFI Project, Oldham and Manchester by Architects Co-Partnership Ltd

Whitehead Building, Goldsmiths, University of London, London by A-EM Studio Ltd

Wood Lane Station, London by Ian Ritchie Architects

Docklands Light Railway Woolwich Arsenal Extension, London by Halcrow

ZEBRA@Lion House, Alnwick, Northumberland by Gibberd

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