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Architecture accolade for former Derbyshire chocolate factory

Greig Watson
BBC News
Verity Milligan Ada Belfield Centre and Belper LibraryVerity Milligan
The Ada Belfield Centre and Belper Library make use of part of an old chocolate factory

Five East Midlands projects, including a repurposed Derbyshire chocolate factory and a 1960s house, have been awarded regional architecture prizes.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) praised each one for design, innovation and sustainability.

Other winners include a private home within a scheduled monument, a private villa in Duffield and a new university wing in Nottinghamshire.

The winner of the regional building of the year will be announced in May.

Dug Wilder Ravine HouseDug Wilder
Ravine House converted a dilapidated 1960s house into a energy efficient retreat

Regional jury chair, Roddy Langmuir, said: "The projects were reviewed carefully against the RIBA awards criteria, and the jury agreed that each winner had raised the bar for regional architecture.

"The scale ranged from a small domestic extension to a large campus university hub.

"The creative re-use of existing fabric was a common theme, as was the extensive use of timber, as the profession turns its focus to architecture that leads the way towards a low-carbon future."

Henry Woide Derwent Valley VillaHenry Woide
Derwent Valley Villa is a family home at the centre of a historic Derbyshire village

The winners are:

  • Ada Belfield Centre and Belper Library, Derbyshire: A combined care home and public library reusing parts of the old Thornton's factory.
  • Derwent Valley Villa, Duffield, Derbyshire: A new-build private house.
  • Ravine House, Chesterfield, Derbyshire: A large scale renovation of a 1967 private house.
  • The Lyth Building, Southwell, Nottinghamshire: A new wing on the Brackenhurst campus of Nottingham Trent University.
  • The Parchment Works, Gretton, Northamptonshire: Private house extension built within ruined scheduled monument.
Martine Hamilton Knight The Lyth buildingMartine Hamilton Knight
The Lyth building holds teaching and research facilities and is aligned to make best use of the sun
Johan Dehlin The Parchment WorksJohan Dehlin
The Parchment Works sit in the back garden of a Victorian town house

These projects will now be considered for a RIBA National Award in June and the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year later in the year.

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