2008 The Bluecoat renovation, Liverpool

Extension designed by Biq Architects

Executive architects: Austin-Smith:Lord

Conservation architects: Donald Insall Associates

Contract value: £12m

The architect, Mark Kyffin, Austin-Smith: Lord: The use of the building has been diversified and it now houses office space, accommodation and the Bluecoat Arts Centre. At the time there was a significant amount of building work being carried out on adjacent sites which informed the design. Our experience with listed buildings came into play when a part of the existing building needed to be carefully dismantled and rebuilt in order to construct a new wing.

The occupier, Alastair Upton, chief executive of the Bluecoat: The new garden at the Bluecoat has opened the area up and is now used by all who visit. It is a social space, full of life.

The judges: The carefully detailed brickwork and tough finishes of the new wing are a subtle interpretation of the existing building. There are many sensitive references to the original structure and the historic context; the rough-cast concrete floors are particularly appropriate to the raw character of the place.

The artists' studios in the existing buildings, designed to accommodate multiple art forms, are monastic and simple. The 'Vide' is a beautifully proportioned and uplifting space, testament to the sophisticated skill of the architects. Exquisitely proportioned doors and openings in the new extension are referential to the original building.