Salford's shimmering £106m Lowry Centre, housing the world's largest collection of works by L S Lowry, has been named building of the year. Judges from The Royal Fine Art Commission awarded the contemporary art gallery the accolade as 'a joy to see and fun to go into', beating stiff competition from Tate Modern and the British Museum's Great Court. Since its launch last year, the Lowry, designed by architects Michael Wilford, has exceeded its 750,000 annual visitor forecast with a million visits.
