'Greenhouse' shortlisted for building award

The ambitious Eden Project has drawn large crowds

The UK's biggest "greenhouse" and a derelict Victorian railway station converted into a health club are among the 40 sites shortlisted for a prestigious international building award.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has whittled down 138 entries from all over the world to come up with the 40 contenders for its Building Of The Year award.

Odyssey combines a science centre, Imax theatre and other attractions

The entries, 11 of which are from overseas, include the £87m Eden Project which houses thousands of different plant species under huge domes nestled in a former clay quarry in Cornwall.

The shortlist, say organisers, represents a cross section of the best in international building, from multi-million pound town centre designs to simple rural buildings.

'Value for money'

Other notable projects gaining recognition in the UK is the Holmes Place health club in Nottingham, which rescued an old railway station from the Buildings at Risk register.

The Odyssey Centre - a millennium project - has been noted for its contribution to the Belfast landscape.

West Quay in Southampton is prasied for tis shopping environment

The site includes an arena, science centre, Imax theatre and retail areas.

The West Quay Shopping Centre in Southampton has been recognised for transforming a derelict industrial site into a major new shopping centre.

An example of striking modern architecture is the University of East London's Docklands campus, while the Elizabethan splendour of Levens Hall in Cumbria has also been praised.

Shortlisted buildings from overseas include the UCB Centre in Brussels, Belgium, the Star Class Tourist Hotel in Sri Lanka and the Royal and Sun Alliance Centre in Auckland.

Holmes Place in Nottingham has rescued a derelict train station

The winners of the three award categories of Conservation, Regeneration, Building Efficiency, and the overall winner of 2001 RICS Building of the Year will not be announced until early next year.

One of the main criteria in the judging process is value for money - regardless of the building's scale - in respect of both capital expenditure and lifetime running costs of the site.

Chairman of the judging panel, Simon Pott FRICS, said: "The list this year contains an unprecedented range of exciting projects.

"They demonstrate the high standards of work being done by chartered, surveyors around the world today to preserve, protect and enhance our built environment."

The RICS Awards was set up in 1990 to reward a diversity of projects, which have regard for the built and natural environment.