Hawkins\Brown and CPMG Architects for Nottingham Trent University
2026 UK RIBA East Midlands Award
Occupying a prominent city-centre site within a conservation area, the Design and Digital Arts Building establishes a confident new landmark among a rich context of listed buildings. It fulfils both Nottingham Trent University’s ambition and the city’s aspiration for a building of civic presence and public engagement.
The architects have met the challenge of accommodating a complex programme of spaces with different spatial, acoustic, and lighting requirements on a constrained site with clarity and ingenuity. The building brings together large, flexible digital studios where daylight must be kept to a minimum, with teaching spaces that require ample natural light, all organised through a carefully considered vertical strategy that encourages connection and exchange.
The building’s massing is deftly broken down into three slender volumes, making it more sympathetic to the scale of neighbouring structures. A glass-fronted central vertical circulation spine acts as its social heart, as well as drawing in natural light and enabling stack ventilation. Doubling as seating and informal study space, the generous stair forms a vertical street, binding spaces while fostering cross-disciplinary exchange. Its glazed frontage reveals activities within and frames views out, and a cafe and exhibition space at ground level animate the street, extending the building’s civic presence. At the summit, a glazed loggia offers panoramic views across the city.
Timber for warmth and acoustic absorption
The material choices are both robust and purposeful. Clad in faceted green terracotta tiles – a reference to the rich tradition of Victorian pubs – the closed areas of the facade shift subtly with the light, lending depth and texture. Inside, exposed concrete provides thermal mass to support passive cooling, while timber introduces warmth and acoustic absorption.
