Best New Building (under £3m construction value)
Winner: Cottenham Village Hall
Demolition of existing single storey village hall and construction of new two storey village hall in the same location within Cottenham's Recreation Ground. Extension to car park and ancillary development.
Highly commended: Duck End Barns
A high-performance private home designed as a long-term, adaptable place to live. Set within the Green Belt, Duck End Barns combines Passivhaus-led design, net-positive energy ambition and rigorous detailing to deliver comfort, resilience and exceptionally low energy demand.
Image credits left to right: Professional architectural photographer commissioned by Wilby & Burnett LLP; Richard Fraser Photography
Best New Building (over £3m construction value)
Winner: Ray Dolby Centre, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge
The Ray Dolby Centre is a world-leading research facility delivering stringent technical performance, and a public-facing hub for collaborative work and study. Central to the emerging Cambridge West Innovation District, it represents a leap forward for science in the UK.
Highly commended: Brooklands
Brooklands is Cambridge’s first major Net Zero Carbon in operation workplace campus, transforming an underused site into 6,000sqm of flexible, inclusive workspace. With contextual design, gentle density and a biodiverse courtyard, it sets a blueprint for sustainable urban growth.
Image credits from left to right: Kilian O'Sullivan; Jack Hobhouse
Best Conservation, Alteration, or Extension of an Existing Building (under £3m construction value)
Winner: Christ’s College, First Court – Refurbishment, Phase 2
Refurbishment of staircases H, I and K of Christ College’s First Court, as the second phase of a wider refurbishment programme; incorporating re-roofing, external and internal repairs, internal refurbishment, and minor layout alterations.
Highly commended: Vinery Road Office
This highly sustainable, adaptive reuse and conversion of a warehouse into an office in a restricted residential site, enclosed by terraced housing and private gardens, involved the innovative use of natural materials and expressed structural steelwork.
Image credits from left to right: Claude N Smith Ltd; Richard Fraser
Best Conservation, Alteration, or Extension of an Existing Building (over £3m construction value)
Winner: The Arts Theatre Cambridge: A contemporary reimagining of an historic theatre
A transformative refurbishment of The Arts Theatre Cambridge. The project delivered a revitalised auditorium, upgraded dressing rooms and back-of-house spaces, replaced audio-visual infrastructure and lighting, refurbished public toilets and shopfront to Peas Hill.
Highly commended: 1-11 Portugal Street - Postgraduate accommodation
Deep retrofit and extension of six Victorian terrace houses for St John’s College. The properties were degasified and their fabric upgraded. New extensions deliver larger amenity spaces and extra toilets for 43 postgraduate bedrooms.
Highly commended: Refurbishment and decarbonisation of the Erasmus Building, Queens' College, Cambridge
Refurbishment, accessibility improvements and sustainability improvements to this well-known early modernist Queens' College accommodation building on the river.
Image credits from left to right: Philip Vile; David Valinsky; Richard Fraser
Best New Neighbourhood
Winner: Hinsley Lane
This Passivhaus-certified scheme for St John’s College, provides 245 student rooms in 39 townhouses, arranged as terraces around shared gardens, and a new central lane. The terraces are occupied by St John’s, Clare Hall and Lucy Cavendish Colleges.
Highly commended: Aylesborough Close, Arbury, Cambridge CB4 2HS
Aylesborough Close has replaced 36 outdated council homes with 70 low-carbon council homes. Comprising one to three-bedroom apartments across three low-rise buildings, every home has a private balcony or terrace.
Image credits from left to right: FredHowarth_Photograph; unknown
Craftsmanship Award
Winner: The Arts Theatre Cambridge: A contemporary reimagining of an historic theatre
A transformative refurbishment of The Arts Theatre Cambridge. The project delivered a revitalised auditorium, upgraded dressing rooms and back-of-house spaces, replaced audio-visual infrastructure and lighting, refurbished public toilets and shopfront to Peas Hill.
Highly commended: Christ’s College, First Court – Refurbishment, Phase 2
Refurbishment of staircases H, I and K of Christ College’s First Court, as the second phase of a wider refurbishment programme; incorporating re-roofing, external and internal repairs, internal refurbishment, and minor layout alterations.
Image credits from left to right: Philip Vile; Claude N Smith Ltd
David Mackay Award for Engineering and Sustainability
Winner: 1-11 Portugal Street - Postgraduate accommodation
Deep retrofit and extension of six Victorian terrace houses for St John’s College. The properties were degasified and their fabric upgraded. New extensions deliver larger amenity spaces and extra toilets for 43 postgraduate bedrooms.
Highly commended: Ferndale Rise - A Cambridge 1930s semi reborn for a sustainable future
Reimagining energy-efficient housing, Ferndale Rise is a living case study designed to educate and inspire. Transformed from EPC D to carbon-negative A, this replicable retrofit shows homeowners the building blocks available for low-carbon renovation.
Highly commended: Remodelling and decarbonisation of a house designed by M H Baillie Scott
Remodelling, renovation and thermal upgrade of a grade II Listed house including a single storey extension. The project balances conservation of the fabric and character of this Baillie Scott house while making a significant improvement to energy efficiency and inclusive access.
Highly commended: Ray Dolby Centre, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge
The Ray Dolby Centre is a world-leading research facility delivering stringent technical performance, and a public-facing hub for collaborative work and study. Central to the emerging Cambridge West Innovation District, it represents a leap forward for science in the UK.
Highly commended: Vinery Road Office
This highly sustainable, adaptive reuse and conversion of a warehouse into an office in a restricted residential site, enclosed by terraced housing and private gardens, involved the innovative use of natural materials and expressed structural steelwork.
Image credits from left to right: David Valinsky; Cambridge Building Society / Gordon Lyster; Matthew Smith; Kilian O'Sullivan; Richard Fraser
Contractor Award
Winner: SDC for Brooklands
Highly commended: Cocksedge Building Contractors for Hinsley Lane & Arts Theatre
People Awards: Celebrating Emerging Talent
Alongside project excellence, the awards recognise individuals whose skills strengthen the future of the region’s built environment.
Apprentice of the Year
Winner: Olivia Durrant (CB3 Consulting)
Young Professional of the Year
Winner: Jess Tyson (MCW Architects)
Commendation: Craig Goldswain (Ramboll)
Site Manager of the Year
Winner: Tom Kindred (SDC)
Commendation: Bridget Owen (Bob Black Construction)