BRITAIN'S most famous “dustbin” has been handed another respected architecture award.

James Hore

BRITAIN'S most famous “dustbin” has been handed another respected architecture award.

The Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at Essex University hit the headlines earlier this year when Prince Charles said he thought it looked like a dustbin.

The comments came in February as he spoke to Colchester-based troops in the £6million stainless steel hall before their deployment to Afghanistan.

The Prince's remarks caused chuckles among guests but it seems as though the university is set to have the last laugh.

The striking building was one of eight winners of The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) East awards, beating competition from across the region.

The building will now go forward to the national final later this year.

It is the second award the building has picked up since the Prince's quip.

Less than a month after the Royal visit, it won an award for architecture from the Civic Trust - which happens to have the future king as its patron.

Andrew Nightingale, director of estate management at the university, said: “The Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall is a flagship building for the university's Colchester campus and we are delighted to have received such prestigious recognition.

“This is an endorsement of the university's commitment to creating a stimulating and exciting environment in which students and staff can work, study and relax.

“The lecture hall complements the strong architectural form of the original 1960s campus and is a 21st Century addition to our reputation for landmark architecture. It has also proved a really successful building for its functionality, flexibility and sustainability.”

The national awards event will be held at the Hilton Hotel, London on June 27.