HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Andrew Smith announces new Prime Ministers’s award for the most outstanding public building [February 2001]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 6 February 2001.

A new design award the “Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award” was announced by the Chief Secretary Andrew Smith today in a speech in London to the Better Public Buildings Conference. The award reflects the Government’s commitment to raising the standard of public building projects by identifying and rewarding high quality design and construction.

Andrew Smith said:

“The number of public buildings which are outstanding examples of design, construction, and delivery, is growing every year. These embody high quality at reasonable cost and represent best value to the procurers, the users and the public.

To recognise these achievements, and as another sign of our determination to improve design, I am very pleased to announce today the ?Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award?.

This award reflects the Prime Minister’s personal interest in excellence in public buildings, and his commitment to raising the standard of public building projects. The award will be made to the most outstanding building, and will be announced at the British Construction Industry awards on 24 October.

The award will be sponsored by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and the Office of Government Commerce on behalf of all of the Government, and it will be administered and judged under the aegis of the BCIA.”