Search is on to find the West Midlands’ most inspirational builds

A FOUR-MONTH search to find the West Midlands’ most inspirational builds has started with the launch of the 2017 RICS Awards.

Affectionately known as the region’s property ‘Oscars’, the annual awards celebrate the region’s top initiatives and developments – in land, property, construction and the environment – that provide significant value to the communities they serve.

Every year the awards attract hundreds of entries from all over the West Midlands, including small scale pioneering schemes, and large multi-million pound developments.

Chair of the RICS Awards, West Midlands judging panel, Richard Moxon, partner at Pennycuick Collins said: “This year’s awards was one of our best in terms of the quality of entries which reflect the great work happening across our region.

“But as the West Midlands continues to grow there are many outstanding property schemes recently completed, or are due to complete soon, which fully deserve the recognition that winning an RICS Award can bring. So we hope our 2017 RICS Awards, West Midlands will attract an even greater number of quality nominations.”

There are eight categories to enter in which local property professionals must demonstrate how they have used their skills to develop, regenerate and conserve the environment in which we live and work. These are: Building Conservation, Commercial property, Community Benefit, Design through Innovation, Infrastructure, Regeneration, Residential, and Tourism & Leisure.

There is also an overall ‘Project of the Year’ title, which is awarded to the entry that demonstrates outstanding best practice and an exemplary commitment to adding value to its local area. This year, the title went to Birmingham Grand Central and Gateway – which also won the Commercial, Infrastructure and Regeneration accolades respectively – for what the judges described as the biggest investment into the West Midlands in the past 100 years.
 
All category winners go on to compete against other regional winners at the national RICS Awards Grand Final, for the chance to be crowned the overall UK winner in their respective category.

The winners from the 2016 RICS Awards, West Midlands will compete in this year’s RICS Awards Grand Final, which takes place on Friday (October 14) at The London Hilton.

They are:  The Masters House, Hereford (Building Conservation), Birmingham Grand Central (Commercial and Regeneration), Stirchley Baths, Birmingham (Community Benefit)  The Old Fire Station, Birmingham (Design through Innovation), Birmingham Gateway (Infrastructure), The School Yard, Phase II, Birmingham  (Residential) British Motor Museums Collection Centre, Gaydon (Tourism & Leisure).