University of Gloucestershire’s flagship City Campus project has won three major honours at the Construction Excellence West Midlands Awards 2026 – including the highest accolade.
The cutting-edge centre for teaching, learning and community services won the Building Project of the Year Award, the Retrofit Award and the overall Winner of Winners Award at a ceremony at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham.
This outstanding achievement is shared across the entire City Campus project team, including the University’s delivery partners Morgan Sindall Construction, PAGABO, Ridge, Arup, Coreus and Denton Powell.
The Construction Excellence West Midlands Awards are recognised across the region’s built environment as the biggest celebration of best practice, showcasing desire and commitment to deliver buildings, housing, infrastructure and facilities in a collaborative and sustainable manner.
The University’s three awards are testament to the ambition, innovation and collaboration that has underpinned the City Campus project since the University announced in March 2021 that it had purchased the iconic Debenhams (formerly Bon Marché) building.
Setting a benchmark for high-quality retrofit and regeneration, the development has transformed a historic site into a vibrant, sustainable public asset bringing new opportunities for education, skills development and community services into the heart of Gloucester.
City Campus – officially opened by The Princess Royal in January – is home to the University’s Education, Psychology and Social Work programmes.
In addition, City Campus provides a range of shared public access facilities. These include a new Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre delivered in partnership with the NHS Integrated Care Board, and a new public library run by Gloucestershire County Council.
The University and NHS Gloucestershire ICB have agreed funding for a new dental school and treatment hub to be located within City Campus. The Three Counties Dental School, which will include the Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub, will be operational from 2027.
Vice-Chancellor, Dame Clare Marchant DBE, said: “Winning three Construction Excellence West Midlands Awards, including the top honour, recognises not only the excellence of the finished building, but also the strength of the collaborations behind it. It’s an incredible achievement for everyone involved in the project.
“City Campus exemplifies what can be achieved through a shared vision and ambition to deliver excellent new facilities for our students, staff and the wider community of which everyone can be proud.
“The recent announcement of the Three Counties Dental School and Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub shows how City Campus continues to evolve, and the remaining spaces offer even more opportunities for collaboration, innovation and impact in the future.”
Richard Fielding, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Midlands, said: “We’re honoured to see City Campus recognised with three Construction Excellence Awards, including the Winner of Winners. Transforming such an iconic heritage building into a modern, vibrant educational and community facility has been a real privilege.
“The success is a credit to the entire project team and the strength of our collaboration with the University and delivery partners. We’re thrilled to have played our part in creating a lasting legacy for Gloucester and its community.”
In November, the University won the Heritage and Regeneration Award at the Believe in Gloucester Awards, for the City Campus project for its sensitive restoration and preservation of one the Gloucester’s most iconic heritage landmarks.
