A BURY nursery for children with special needs has been shortlisted for a prestigious architectural award.

The Hoyle Early Years Centre for children with special educational needs is one of 17 schemes in the final of the 2004 Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award.

Architects DSDHA designed two wings, divided by a glazed courtyard and library.

Headteacher Clare Barker said: "The building is super - very light and airy."

Now in its fourth year, the annual award recognises excellence in design quality for publicly-funded building schemes.

The courtyard provides a heart to the school, encouraging a sense of well-being and flexibility of use while natural light animates the interior. In summer, sliding doors to the courtyard and external play areas are opened adding transparency to the building, while improved lighting and natural ventilation throughout the building complement the calm environments essential for the nursery. The building reconnects the nursery to the community by creating new frontage onto the local park and a new view corridor through the building, radically changing its relationship to its surroundings.

- the total opposite of the previous building.'

This year a total of 17 schemes have been nominated for the award from a record number of entries.

award-winning

Now in its fourth year, this annual award recognises excellence in design quality and procurement practices of publicly funded building schemes. This year a total of 17 schemes have been nominated for the award from a record number of entries.

has brought imaginative thinking to the design of facilities where children can learn and think.

Launching this year's short list at a ceremony in London, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Chairman of the Ministerial Design Champions Group, said:

'This year's wide range of projects reflects the scale and ambition of the Government's construction programme and demonstrates the success of the Better Public Building initiative, which has done so much over the last four years to raise awareness of the need for design quality in all our public buildings and spaces - regardless of size, cost and procurement route.