LONDON.- The Royal Observatory has won a prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award. The award was given to the new Peter Harrison Planetarium and renovated South Building designed by architects Allies and Morrison.

RIBA Awards are given for buildings that have high architectural standards and make a substantial contribution to the local environment. The awards are annual, and have been running continuously since 1966.

'An original work of architecture'
'The South Building has been restored and successfully reworked to accommodate four new galleries and visitor facilities with a stunning double helix staircase. The Altazimuth building now works as an observatory.

'Between them is the centrepiece: a new planetarium in the form of a tilted bronze cone, a tactile sculptural object much stroked by visitors... The ground has been cleverly lifted and tilted allowing an entrance to be neatly tucked underneath. The architects have seized the opportunity to create an original work of architecture.'

RIBA Award-winning buildings go on to be considered for RIBA National Awards, which will be awarded at a ceremony on 27 June 2008.

92 buildings across the UK have been announced as winners of the 2008 RIBA Awards.