Award winners gather for the presentations evening at Salisbury Museum. DA4686P01SALISBURY'S newest school has won recognition for its "refreshing" design, in an awards scheme for new buildings.

Greentrees Primary School, built at the cost of £1.5m, to serve the communities of Bishopdown Farm and Hampton Park, has been commended in the Salisbury Civic Society's new building awards for 2003.

It was one of four awards and four commendations handed out at the Civic Society's New Year's party and presentation evening at Salisbury Museum last Thursday.

The four main awards went to the Foyer for South Wiltshire building in Wilton Road, Salisbury, new classrooms at Leaden Hall, in the Cathedral Close, the annexe at The Hermitage, Little Durnford, and the Artists' House, at the New Art Centre, at Roche Court, Winterslow.

The other three commendations went to a retirement housing scheme in Church Leat, Downton, housing at Wardour Court, New Wardour Castle, Tisbury, and the shop and restaurant at Stourhead Gardens, near Mere.

A judging panel, chaired by recent chairman of the Wessex RIBA Nigel Warren and including Edward Rippier, Jeffrey Ashenden and John Hammond, made the selections and gave their reasons for doing so.

The Foyer for South Wiltshire provides accommodation and some training for 16-25 year olds, who would otherwise be homeless.

The building has won its award for it innovative design, which includes cutting-edge environmental features such as a green roof and a ventilation and insulation system that makes maximum use of natural assets.

The judges also noted that the Foyer had a "very contemporary feel without strident modernism" and offered a "safe and welcoming environment for residents".

The new classrooms at Leaden Hall have been built on an extremely sensitive site on the edge of the Cathedral Close and the judges praised the project as being "outstandingly successful".

They were struck by the way the classrooms had been constructed as a range of timber garden pavilions, raised above ground level to minimise any impact on the flood plain and floating above the roots of existing mature trees.

At the 19th century Grade 2 listed Hermitage, Little Durnford, an annexe has been built to provide additional accommodation.

The judges said that, from the outside, the annexe was a simple rectangular building completely unchallenging to the picturesque design and setting of The Hermitage, but on the inside it was bursting with positive character - quirky and individual, yet achieving a coherence that "only the sourest-natured visitor could fail to find welcoming and attractive".

Roche Court received an award four years ago for its new gallery.

This time the judges said they were not surprised to find the Artists' House was a building of unquestionable distinction and one whose elements combined to create a work of sculpture itself.

The Church Leat retirement housing at Downton was praised for its traditional design approach, which the judges said was carried out with commitment and imagination, which made the finished result stand out from the general run of speculative housing development.

Wardour Court was described as something unusual, as it created a substantial housing development in an historic parkland setting to a Grade 1 listed building.

The judges said that, as a piece of classical design and in the high quality of construction, they found it very impressive.

The new National Trust shop and restaurant at Stourhead are contained in three barn-like buildings, which the judges said seemed entirely appropriate to the setting.

They felt that the way modern elements had been added to this basic framework "worked well".