Centre wins architecture praise

RSA WALES SHORTLIST Blaenavon World Heritage Centre (above) (Purcell Miller Tritton) St David' Cathedral cloister project, Pembrokeshire (Architects: Caroe + Ptnrs) Ysgol Ifor Bach primary school, Abertridwr for Caerphilly Council (van Heyningen and Haward) Newport City Footbridge, River Usk, Newport (Grimshaw) The Houses at Clyne, Clyne Castle, Swansea (Holder Mathias) Source: RSA Wales In pictures: Others on the shortlist

The UK's first dedicated World Heritage Centre has been named as the only recipient in Wales of a prestigious architecture award.

The Blaenavon visitor centre in south Wales has been praised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for its combination of old and new.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan opened the £2.7m visitors' centre on the site of a once rundown school in March.

It was designed by London-based architects Purcell Miller Tritton.

The centre was chosen from a shortlist of five designs in Wales, which included a school, a new footbridge and cathedral cloisters at St Davids.

The former ironworks town of Blaenavon in Torfaen was designated world heritage status by Unesco in 2000 because of the importance of south Wales as the "world's major producer of iron and coal in the 19th century".

The World Heritage Centre has been built in the former St Peter's School in the town, a Victorian building which closed in the 1980s and had become a local eyesore.

There are views across the valley from inside the centre

Nearly £1.2m from the Heritage Lottery Fund was spent with support funding from other public bodies.

The structure between two school buildings combines glass, concrete, steel and timber and juts out into the playground to provide framed views over the town and across the valley.

Inside the centre, exhibitions and interactive computers explain how and why Blaenavon was given the same world heritage site honour as India's Taj Mahal and the Acropolis in Athens.

Alistair Sunderland, chairman of the RIBA Awards jury in Wales, said excellent construction helped the centre win the award.

Liz Walder, director of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales said: "It is a superb example of design excellence in a historic context.

"Working as an architect on any world heritage site is quite difficult because of the restrictions involved in building on a conservation area so it is quite an achievement."

John Rogers, world heritage co-ordinator at Blaenavon said he had heard some very favourable comments about the design from visitors to the centre.

"We like to think that there is a wonderful continuity here. The design of the exhibitions inside and the architecture outside all marry together."

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