10 Things You Didn't Know About These Amazing Public Building Projects

The UK is at the forefront of the construction industry with people building innovative projects all over Britain. Take a look at the list below of some of the public buildings and projects nominated for the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award 2014.

1. Brent Council is backing the bats

Brent Civic Centre is for everyone in the local community, including the bats apparently! The brand-new, super-eco-friendly building has built-in bat boxes, planted internal balconies and is one of the most sustainable public buildings in the UK. Its boiler even runs on fish oil.

2. Serious science in silence

Shhhh... is a sound we're sure will be used a lot in Cambridge University's Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy. It's one of the quietest buildings in the world with vibrations 10,000 times lower than the maximum acceptable level for offices. You will definitely hear a pin drop!

3. Students feeling in the pink

The University of East Anglia is flexing some serious eco credentials with its new Julian Study Centre. It's the uni's most environmentally friendly building on its sprawling 300-acre campus. The striking shade of bright pink is a plus for all the students staggering into uni bleary eyed after long night... err studying of course. The building is named after the anchoress Julian of Norwich, believed to be the first woman to publish a book in English.

4. Art in the barn

Norwich City College students didn't expect to be going to school in a barn, but that's life in East Anglia! The college's Creative Arts Building has been designed in the traditional Norfolk barn style with 3 floors of open spaces.

5. Croydon's nudge nudge wink wink bridge

In an effort not to inconvenience that most unique of species, the London commuter, the clever builders of the new footbridge above East Croydon station nudged it slowly into place above the station’s 6 platforms over 20 hours – while busy commuter trains passed by underneath! A mammoth task that shows off the innovation of British engineering.

6. The totally wild new building

WWF’s Living Planet Centre is so green and eco-friendly, Sir David Attenborough came to open it! Not only is it one of the most energy efficient buildings in the UK, it was built over the top of an existing car park so that it avoided an unnecessary damage to undeveloped land or natural ecosystems.

7. The flood defences letting the water in on purpose!

The folks at the Environment Agency are normally trying to stop places getting flooded, but incredibly, the best way of shoring up West Sussex’s flood defences was… to flood it! This pioneering feat of engineering prowess saw builders tear open the sea wall to allow water to reclaim the land. It created 183 hectares of wetland habitat while providing flood protection to 348 nearby properties, a water treatment works, and a vital road access to 5000 local homes.

8. The perfect bridge for swanning about

During the Walton Bridge’s construction, the Wildfowl Trust helped engineers protect the local swan population. They specified a particular colouring for the bridge’s sweeping arch, so that flying birds can distinguish it from the sky. This was but one of a number of innovations on the first new road river crossing on the Thames for 20 years, and the first built to new EU building standards.

9. The motorway is smarter than you think

If Carlsberg did motorways this would be it. How about a smart motorway that regulates traffic speed using the latest technology and allows drivers to use the hard shoulder during peak times. Junctions 25 to 30 on the M62 in Leeds are leading the way to ease congestion in the UK.

10. The perfect present for Birmingham

The new Library of Birmingham has this funky pattern printed on its facade, making it look like a stack of birthday presents, and helping it to achieve an almost immediate iconic status. It also gave Brummies reasons to celebrate even before it was finished, by helping 308 long-term unemployed into jobs, 82 young people into apprenticeships, and 30 homeless people into work placements on the project.

Find out more about the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award 2014.