The Theatre Royal’s Production and Education Centre in Plymouth, designed by Ian Ritchie Architects and The Queen’s Gallery, designed by John Simpson and Partners, have been named as Building of the Year and Gallery of the Year 2003 respectively.

The Production and Education Centre – based in the TR2 building on Plymouth’s River Plym – provides a production and rehearsal facility away from the Theatre Royal’s main stage in the city.

The Queen’s Gallery – in Buckingham Palace – was constructed to house her majesty’s art collection.

The awards, made jointly by the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust and British Sky Broadcasting, were announced at London’s Savoy Hotel on 11 June by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster.

His holiness said: "Buildings are never just functional, they always have something to say about the complexities of life in community and the humanisation of space."

He continued: "The architect has to meet several challenges. He or she has to meet his client’s brief by creating a building which serves its given purpose, he has to respect the constraints of his materials, and the laws of engineering and physics, by designing a building that stands up and stays standing up. But he must also delight, which I interpret to mean he must also create a thing of beauty."

Theatre Royal chief executive, Adrian Vinken, said: "To gain such a prestigious award is a very public recognition of the phenomenal hard work and commitment that went into making TR2 a reality. Ian Ritchie has designed precisely the influential landmark building which we wanted for Plymouth … a real flagship for development and regeneration."

Specialist award winners also named (with category in brackets) were: Manchester Art Gallery (Aggiornamento); Hungerford Millennium Bridge, London (Bridge); Laban Centre for Dance, Deptford, London (Dance Centre); House on Evening Hill, Poole, Dorset (House); Centre for Mathematical Studies, Cambridge (Universities); Sheffield Winter Garden (Jeu d’Esprit).

Lord St John of Fawsley PC, chair of The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust, headed a team of judges consisting of Simon Allford and Lady Hopkins, both architects; Nina Campbell, an interior designer; Edmund Hollinghurst, a civil engineer; Arnold Chan, a lighting architect representing British Sky Broadcasting and Dame Antoinette Sibley DBE, former principal dancer of The Royal Ballet and president of The Royal Academy of Dancing.

His lordship referred to the commission being the only body in the world devoted to raising standards of beauty and design in architecture and continued: "We hope next year to again supplement the Award by a series of publications, pamphlets and lectures and by pressing for more visual education in schools. Only if that is done will our buildings measure up to the aesthetic standards which the citizens of this country are entitled to expect."