Date 22 May 2023
Galliford Try’s project at The Exchange for the University of Birmingham, has won both the RIBA regional award and the RIBA Conservation award for its transformation of the 1930’s Municipal Bank building.
Constructed by Galliford Try's West Midlands and South West business and designed by Make Architects and Glancy Nicholls Architects, The Exchange at the University of Birmingham gives a neoclassical building steeped in history a brand-new modern purpose. Located in Centenary Square, it provides a city centre presence for University of Birmingham, with exhibition space and entertainment space, as well as teaching areas, combining history and culture together.
As described by the judges, the building has been 'sensitively restored to accommodate a range of uses, including a café and gallery in the former banking hall'. By creating a ‘new front door’ for the client, the ‘commitment to restoring this historic building to its former glory has been unparalleled’.
In addition to its recent success at the RIBA awards, The University of Birmingham Exchange project was also named as Heritage Project of the Year by the West Midlands Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) awards last year, and also won the Conservation and Preservation Award at the Constructing Excellence West Midlands Awards 2022.
Simon Courtney, Managing Director for Galliford Try Building West Midlands and South West, commented: “We are thrilled to have received not one, but two awards for this fantastic project that will continue to preserve Birmingham's heritage and legacy for students and the community. Congratulations to our team and our partners who brought this project to life.”