RICS crowns The Halls and Birmingham’s Goodsyard the best in the region

A regenerated concert venue and brand new apartment complex have been named among the best real estate projects in the region.

The Halls in Wolverhampton and The Goodsyard in Birmingham’s historic Jewelery Quarter were winners at the West Midlands Awards 2024, organized by industry body the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

The awards showcase the most inspiring initiatives and developments in land, property, construction and infrastructure (see the full West Midlands list here).

There were four winners from five categories who will now go to the RICS National Awards in London on October 4, where they will compete against champions from other regions.

The halls, formerly Wolverhampton Civic and Wulfrun Halls, are venues for concerts and live events that reopened last summer after being closed for a six-year regeneration project.

The work saw the buildings, which opened in 1938, rebuilt from the inside out, retaining original features and increasing capacity to 5,400 across the two adjoining sites.

The Halls took home two award categories – community benefit and renovation/revitalization.

The Goodsyard, which won the residential category, is a development of 395 new apartments built on the site of a former tire factory near Birmingham’s Jewelery Quarter rail and tram station.

The project created new access to the station and public realm across the site, while an existing Victorian tunnel and buttress wall was retained and strengthened to allow for future development. The public sector award went to Walsall Manor Hospital’s Urgent Care Unit.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has decided to refurbish and expand its emergency capacity to cope with local demand and the expected increase in activity following a change in catchment area.

A two-storey extension has been added to the emergency department alongside refurbishment of existing buildings to provide accommodation.

Rounding out the winners was The Lord Leycester Hospital, in Warwick, which won the heritage award.

The Grade I listed medieval building is a home for service veterans known as the Brethren and has reopened to the public after 18 months of delicate and intricate improvement work.

The project focused on ensuring financial sustainability by repairing the buildings and improving the visitor experience, which saw a 23% increase in areas accessible to the public.

Bryony Siggs, Chair of the West Midlands RICS Awards judging panel, said: “These winning projects are a real testament to the hard work and dedication of West Midlands industry professionals.

“The talent and collaborative approaches taken by the teams behind these projects have resulted in exemplary and innovative schemes that truly represent the very best of the West Midlands.

“RICS is delighted to recognize the hard work that went into ensuring these projects were successfully delivered and wish the winning projects the best of luck in the grand final later this year.”