The Eden Project was acclaimed as Britain’s best building of the last 20 years by leaders of the UK construction industry in London on Wednesday October 10.
The top prize of “best of the best” buildings at the British Construction Industry 20th Anniversary awards, was decided by an eminent panel of judges and a public vote.
Eden won the prize because of its influence, legacy and public benefit.
Commenting on the award, the project’s Chief Executive Tim Smit said: “Thank you kind judges and thank you dear readers - we are so proud and humbled to have won this award, especially in the light of the fabulous projects that Britain has spawned in a modern renaissance over the last two decades.
“For us it has been a privilege to have been offered the opportunity to follow our dreams and build ‘Eden’ and to watch the engineers, architects and landscape architects weave their genius…and, most of all, it was the triumph of the human spirit that saw the men and women on the ground in the worst winter in Cornwall’s history, battle to put flesh on this dream and make it real that reminds you how clever Homo Sapiens is.
“Great construction, with its dependence on collaboration, inspires optimism and hope for the future and is not celebrated enough.”
Eden’s Managing Director Gaynor Coley added: “It would be remiss of us not to send out a message of heartfelt thanks to the Lottery, and especially the Millennium Commission who had faith in Eden and dared to take a chance when it would have been easier to say no.
“The same can be said of the South West Regional Development Agency whose support has been unstinting and our magnificent design and construction team who worked for 18 months ‘at risk.’ In the light of the wonderful buildings McAlpine delivered, I would like to remind them of that famous day when we were battling with finances and they told us it would be cheaper if we built Eden square!”
Eden, home of the world-famous Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes and the Core education centre, has attracted more than eight million visitors and generated £800 million for the regional economy since opening in 2001 and has previously won a string of prestigious awards.
In December 2005, Eden was proclaimed Britain’s favourite modern building in a poll released by ConstructionSkills, the sector skills council for the construction industry.
The project’s next evolution is the Edge, which will be the last great building in the former china clay pit at Bodelva near St Austell in Cornwall. Eden is one of six projects currently competing in the Big Lottery Fund’s: The People’s £50 Million contest. A final shortlist is due to be announced later this month (October) and then in December a public vote will decide who wins the £50 million prize.
Introduced in 1988, the construction awards recognise all-round excellence in client satisfaction, design, procurement, construction and delivery on time and budget.
The awards were due to be presented by Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Sport, at a ceremony in front of more than 800 industry leaders. While Eden was judged the best building, the Channel Tunnel won the 20th anniversary civil engineering prize.
To celebrate two decades of the BCI Awards, the judges selected Eden and the tunnel as the best building and civil engineering projects featured in the BCIA Major Project Category over the 20-year period, based on their influence, legacy and public benefit. Their decision was assisted by a reader vote conducted by New Civil Engineer magazine.
The BCI Awards are promoted by New Civil Engineer, The Architects’ Journal and Thomas Telford Ltd. In addition to the individual category sponsors, the awards are also supported by over 80 leading firms of architects, engineers, contractors and related organisations as well as leading construction clients throughout the UK.
David Shaw, Chairman of the judging panel, said: "It takes real skill and teamworking to deliver projects to a realistic economic cost and at the same time enhance the quality of the environment. The projects which we short-listed were of an extremely high standard and those which have won awards are outstanding."
THE JUDGING TEAM FOR THE BCI AWARDS 2007 was:
Chairman: David Shaw, Head of Retail Portfolio – The Crown Estate;
Deputy Chairman: Quentin Leiper, President – Institution of Civil Engineers
Ivor Catto, Group Managing Director, Design and Engineering Solutions, Atkins
Gordon Clark, Chairman, Gifford
Hugh Ferguson, Deputy Director General, Institution of Civil Engineers
Paul Finch OBE, Editorial Director, Emap Construct
Antony Oliver, Editor, New Civil Engineer
Jane Priestman OBE, Design Management Consultant
Deborah Saunt, Partner, DSDHA
Philip Singleton, City Design Advisor, Birmingham City Council.
David Sterry OBE, Chief Executive, May Gurney
Rick Willmott, Chief Executive, Willmott Dixon.
