The International Digital Laboratory at the University of Warwick won two awards at the Coventry Design Awards 2009 on Friday 18th December.

The BREEAM 'Excellent' Digital Lab picked up the award for 'Sustainable Design' and also the 'People's Choice' award.

The Coventry Design Awards, run by Coventry City Council, are held every two years and give local people the opportunity to nominate examples of good design that they think make a significant contribution to the image and quality of the City.

The Digital Lab, completed in July 2008, was designed with a comprehensive environmental strategy that includes a large sedum-covered roof to increase the biodiversity of the area and a below-slab labyrinth to cool incoming air; naturally ventilating the building.

The Hillside Hub is a mixed-use building, key to the regeneration of the Stonebridge Estate in north west London. The Hub, which provides community facilities, healthcare facilities, mixed-tenure residential apartments, a cafe and a Tesco Express, was Highly Commended in the Structural Category. The judges said of the project: "Known by the locals as 'The Armadillo', this technically complex building invites you in and delights with the flawless detailing and workmanship, notably the swooping roof which extends out to form a low entrance canopy."

The John Hope Gateway at the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh reached practical completion in the summer of this year and was officially opened to the public on 7th October 2009. The visitor centre is named after the Garden's Regius Keeper from 1761 to 1786 who played a pivotal role in unifying the Gardens at one site on Leith Walk. The first visitor to the Gateway building was a descendant of John Hope.

The winners of the Awards were announced on Thursday 17th September.

The Stonebridge Hillside Hub is a landmark, mixed-use building near Wembley in north west London. The Hub formed a final phase of the regeneration of the once notorious Stonebridge Estate and provides the local community with a PCT health centre, mixed-tenure residential apartments, a cafe, a community centre, a communal garden and a convenience store.

Open House London is the capital's biggest architectural festival and is held annually. Over 700 of buildings will be open to the public over the weekend of the 19th and 20th September.

The Stonebridge Hillside Hub is a landmark, mixed-use building near Wembley in north west London. The Hub formed a final phase of the regeneration of the once notorious Stonebridge Estate and provides the local community with a PCT health centre, mixed-tenure residential apartments, a cafe, a community centre, a communal garden and a convenience store.

The new Herbarium wing at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew provides much needed archive space Kew's priceless collection of over 7 million dried plant specimens. The botanists are currently in the process of moving in to their new home, which will also contain a rare books and illustrations library and study areas.

The Greenwich Millennium School and Health Centre buildings are an exemplar of integrated education and community facilities, with a fully inclusive primary school, early years centre and health centre for the Greenwich Millennium Village.

The Gatehouse we have designed for Torriano Junior School in Camden has been given planning approval.

The new building will provide a flexible space at the entrance to the school in which pupils and adults will be able to learn, work and play.

The Gatehouse aims to be completed in 2010 to mark the centenary of the School.

The new Herbarium and Library Wing at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew has been shortlisted for a Brick Award.

The annual Brick Awards, organised by the Brick Development Association, is one of the "longest established and most widely respected design awards in the UK. The Awards recognise excellence in design and construction using brick."

The climate controlled archive vaults of the Herbarium are clad with fiery red brick. On the eastern side of the building a golden brick was used for the three-storey facade, with a charcoal coloured special brick set in to provide a pattern of raised bosses supporting a cedar trellis.

The International Digital Laboratory at the University of Warwick is the Public Sector Winner of the Institution of Structural Engineers Awards.

The Structural Awards "recognise and reward the work of the world's most talented structural designers, their indispensable contribution to the built environment and showcase projects that lead the industry's development."

Edward Cullinan Architects are taking part in this year's CABE Summer School, being held in Bristol from the 23rd - 26th June 2009.

Part of the programme focusses on ECA's successful Harbourside masterplan. A proper city-scale quarter has been established on a previously closed, derelict and contaminated site. Flexible, and not dependant on any one building or use which may be transitory, its robust and enduring links establish its strong visual legibility and spatial coherence.

Colin Rice and Peter Inglis will be helping to conduct a tour, and Colin will also be one of seven key speakers debating the project.

The New Herbarium and Library Wing at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew was awarded a Silver Award for its Ceilings in the AIS Contractors Awards.

Project Architect, Lara Michael, joined the ceiling contractors, Baker Stickland Ltd at the award ceremony on Tuesday 9th June. The judges said of the project: "To call this entry just a ceiling is to misrepresent a skilful piece of precision engineering. Technically extremely challenging, the finished article is a thing of true beauty."

The AIS (Association of Interior Specialists) Contractor Awards are held annually to encourage and promote high levels of craftsmanship and design.

Alex Abbey was delighted to hear his entry was runner-up in Blueprint Magazine/Cassina/RIBA Trust's competition to design your own cabanon.

The brief was to draw your own ideal beach retreat in the spirit of Le Corbusier, in no more than 45 minutes. Alex's design was one of the best runners-up out of almost 200 entries.

The competition was inspired by the recent Le Corbusier exhibition at the Barbican Centre and the full-scale model of Le Corbusier's own Cabanon exhibited at the RIBA.

The winners/runners-up are featured in July's issue of Blueprint.

The International Digital Laboratory at the University of Warwick is shortlisted for Project of the Year in the Building Services Awards 2009.

The Awards are organised by Building Sustainable Design. Judges will be looking for schemes where M&E design has more than met the client's expectations and projects that demonstrate excellence in building services.

Hoare Lea were the M&E Engineers on the Digital Lab.

On Thursday 21st May, the Topping Out Ceremony was held for the new visitor centre at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE).

Officiated by the Scottish Environment Secretary, Richard Lochhead and Chair of the RBGE Trustees, Sir George Mathewson, the Ceremony was symbolised by the fixing down of two decking boards.

The John Hope Gateway provides an entrance building at the west gate of the Garden and is named after the 18th century Regius Keeper who unified the Gardens at one site on Leith Walk. The Gateway will be a threshold into the world of the Botanic Garden as well as to the visitor facilities. The building integrates with the landscape, while underpinning RBGE's mission of 'exploring and explaining the world of plants for a better future'.

Mr Lochhead said:

"...it is particularly apt that the Topping Out is during Scottish Biodiversity Week."

"Once complete, this new facility will provide an inspiring classroom for all ages offering visitors an unrivalled all-weather visitor centre and provide a model of sustainability. By using state-of-the-art technologies, it will enable the public to connect with the natural world and share understanding of the environment issues which are facing us all."

The International Digital Laboratory at the University of Warwick won a Built In Quality Award on Friday 24th April.

Part of the Celebrating Construction event, The Digital Lab was winner in the Commerical category. The awards are presented to builders who achieve outstanding quality in their construction work, particularly in relation to the Building Control process.

As a winner, the Digital Lab is automatically nominated for the LABC (Local Authority Building Control) National Building Excellence awards to be held in October this year.

The image on the left shows the Peter Thompson (Project Manager) of Vinci and David Leggett (Project Architect) of Edward Cullinan Architects, at the award ceremony.

On Friday 17th April the new Library and IT Centre at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge celebrated its highest point of construction with a traditional 'Topping Out' ceremony.

The Master of the College, Professor Robert Lethbridge, laid a brick in the circular reader tower, assisted by an apprentice bricklayer. The ceremony was attended by Fellows and staff from the College, representatives from the main contractor Kier Marriott, and Ted Cullinan (Lead Designer) and Lucy Spencer (Project Architect). Silver trowels were presented to the Master and Bursar of the College to mark the event.

The 'Topping Out' ceremony marks a major milestone in the construction of the Library, which forms the final piece of the 1959 Denys Lasdun College Masterplan.

The International Digital Laboratory at the University of Warwick has been shortlisted for a RIBA Award.

The Master of the College, Professor Robert Lethbridge, laid a brick in the circular reader tower, assisted by an apprentice bricklayer. The ceremony was attended by Fellows and staff from the College, representatives from the main contractor Kier Marriott, and Ted Cullinan (Lead Designer) and Lucy Spencer (Project Architect). Silver trowels were presented to the Master and Bursar of the College to mark the event.

The 'Topping Out' ceremony marks a major milestone in the construction of the Library, which forms the final piece of the 1959 Denys Lasdun College Masterplan.

Roddy Langmuir shares his knowledge of designing with timber for the NBS Learning Channels video on timber weathering.

The NBS Learning Channels provide online video-based learning services for architecture, design and the construction industry.

Alongside Dr Andrew Pitman of TRADA (Timber Research and Development Association), Roddy explains how exposure to the elements affects the aesthetics, structure and longevity of different forms of wood.

The International Digital Laboratory at the University of Warwick has been shortlisted for three awards.

The new Digital Lab, rated BREEAM 'Excellent', is on the shortlist for the Sustain' Magazine Awards - Design and Architecture Award. The Awards mark the 10th anniversary of the magazine and are "designed to celebrate the high hopes and hard work, commitment and creativity, radicalism and rigour, inspiration and perspiration of all those achieving distinction and success in the field of Sustainability."

The Lab is also on the shortlist for the Commercial category of the Built in Quality Awards; part of Celebrating Construction 09, and the shortlist of the Flat Roof Alliance's RBM (Reinforced Bitumen Membrane) Awards in the Green Roof Category.

The Stonebridge Hillside Hub has been shortlisted for a Building Award.

The mixed-use building, comprising healthcare, community and residential space, is shortlisted in the Housing Project of the Year category.

The Building Awards are now in their 15th year. They reward "best practice, innovation and excellence" and are the biggest construction industry event of the year.