A sustainable building constructed to house the archive of composer Benjamin Britten is among the projects nominated for a leading regional award.

The Britten–Pears Foundation centre in Aldeburgh houses the extensive collection of music manuscripts, letters, photographs and recordings of Benjamin Britten and tenor Peter Pears.

The building at the Red House, Aldeburgh, was completed during the celebrations to mark last year’s centenary of the composer’s birth.

It has been nominated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for its East of England Awards 2014, in the Design Through Innovation category.

Another Suffolk nominee is the Louise Hamilton Centre in Lowestoft which is also in contention for the Design Through Innovation award as well as being on the shortlist in the Community Benefit category.

In north Essex, the Hargood Close development in Colchester is nominated in three categories (Residential, Design Through Innovation and Community Benefit) as is Saffron Hall in Saffron Walden (Design Through Innovation, Community Benefit and Tourism & Leisure).

Finchingfield Guildhall gets a double nomination (Community Benefit and Building Conservation), with Nos 25-27 Church Street, Saffron Walden, also in the running for the Building Conservation award.

Other schemes around the region in contention for the awards include the University of Cambridge’s Sports Centre, the Royal Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea and the City Hall refurbishment in Norwich.

Luay Al-Khatib, director RICS East, said: “The quality of entries received this year is truly outstanding and clearly demonstrates the fantastic work being carried out by property professionals.

“There is a wealth and variety of inspirational new projects and regenerated developments and I am sure it will be a challenging judging process.”

A total of seven category winners and an overall Project of the Year will be selected from the total of 37 shortlisted entries into the awards.

Judging for the awards is due to take place during the spring, with the RICS East Awards ceremony, supported by sponsorship from Lovell, Forbo Flooring and English Heritage, to be held at Sopwell House in St Albans on May 8.

The regional winners from the Building Conservation, Community Benefit, Design Through Innovation and the Regeneration categories will also be invited to represent the East of England and compete against projects from across the rest of the UK at the overall RICS Awards in London later in the year.