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Britain's highest honor for architecture, the Royal Institute for British Architecture (Riba)' s Stirling Prize was awarded Thursday to Britain's newest theatre, Liverpool's newly rebuilt Everyman.
Riba makes the award, its highest accolade, each year from a shortlist representing the best new buildings of the year.
The Everyman Theatre beat five other buildings to win the prize, named in honor of the celebrated British architect James Stirling.
Riba president Stephen Hodder, speaking at the award's ceremony in London, described the Everyman an "exceptional new building".
"It is a ground-breaking example of how to build a daring bold and highly sustainable large public building in a historic city centre," he said.
The Everyman first opened in 1964 in the shell of a 19th century chapel in the heart of Liverpool's cultural quarter, just down the road from the city's Philharmonic Hall, home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
As Everyman fell into a state of disrepair over a number of years architects were given the task of designing a new 27 million pounds "theatre for the people".
The one-time 19th century chapel was taken down brick by brick so that each brick could be reused in the new building, both externally and exposed on the inside in the main auditorium.
The building's stunning facade, features more than a hundred punched-aluminium panels portraying life-size images of Liverpool residents.
Hodder added: "The success of this exceptional new building lies in the architect's close involvement with the local community throughout the project."
"Haworth Tompkins (the architects) have struck the perfect balance between continuity and change to win the hearts and minds of the people of Liverpool with the vibrant new Everyman."
Everyman artistic director Gemma Bodinetz said: "We are thrilled to win the award. The Everyman was built with humanity at its heart."
Architect Steve Tompkins of Haworth Tompkins said: "Winning the Riba Stirling Prize is an enormous honor, the reward for an intensive collaboration over almost a decade, during which we have grown to love the Everyman and the great city that it serves."
The Everyman beat a number of shortlisted buildings including one that has changed the skyline of the country's capital, London' s Shard. The new Library of Birmingham, Manchester School of Art, the London Aquatics Centre and the London School of Economics Student Centre were also nominated or the Stirling Prize.
