A number of leisure schemes have been included among the 97 UK and European projects to be named as winners of the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards.

The RIBA Awards are designed to recognise "architectural excellence" and comprised 89 properties in the UK and a further eight across the European Union. Among the 2011 winners is the new £112.8m home for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, which was designed by Bennetts Associates and opened late last year.

McManus Galleries in Dundee (Page Park Architects) and Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno (Ellis Williams Architects) were also included among the recipients of the award. Elsewhere, Marshland Discovery Zone, Purfleet, (Peter Beard_LANDROOM) and Creswell Crags Museum and Education Centre, Derbyshire (OMI Architects) were recognised.

European Union projects that were confirmed as winners of the 2011 RIBA Awards include Dublin's Aviva Stadium (Populous/Scott Tallon Walker) and Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany (David Chipperfield). RIBA president Ruth Reed said: "This year's winners show that in spite of a terrible worldwide recession, many exceptional buildings have been, and continue to be, built in the UK and overseas."

Meanwhile, RIBA has also announced that 13 buildings will receive its International Award - including Guangzhou Opera House, China (Zaha Hadid Architects). Image: Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon – Peter Cook