A new visitor centre at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley is among five winners at a prestigious regional property awards.
The facility, designed by Napier Clarke Architects, opened in 2022 and acts as a new hub at the main entrance of the cultural attraction.
Located on the vintage tram turning circle, the building has a café and shop and is designed to welcome visitors and encourage them to explore the collections that stretch down to the historic mine shafts and canal arm.
It was named a winner at the RIBA West Midlands Awards 2024 and will now go forward to the national awards in July and could be in with a chance of taking home the coveted Stirling Prize.
The judges' citation said: "The new entrance building provides this popular open-air museum with not only a gateway but also a visitor centre with café, shop, offices and welfare facilities.
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"It is designed to improve the welcome experience for up to 5,000 people per day visiting to view and learn about the area's rich industrial heritage.
"Navigating difficult ground conditions, peppered with mine shafts and tunnels, the architects produced a design that does not compete with the exhibits but provides a legible yet flexible entrance point.
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"It greets visitors with a strong but familiar pitched roof form, echoing the museum's exhibited buildings. Its steel frame is a key principle of the design and relates directly to the site's industrial heritage."
Run by industry body the Royal Institute of British Architects since 1966, the annual awards recognise excellence in the field of architecture across the country.
The four other West Midlands winners were the historic Flaxmill Maltings in Shrewsbury which has been restored to create a new events, exhibition and education destination.
Also winning were the new Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, on The University of Warwick's campus, a restoration project at St Mary Magdalene Church in Tanworth-in-Arden and a low-carbon house called Cwm Barn, in Hereford.
Flaxmill Maltings was also crowned overall West Midlands Building of the Year.
Judging panel chairwoman Jessica Barker said: "This year's winners showcase a positive future for architecture, with sustainability and a fabric-first approach dominating the list.
"The respect for the agricultural heritage which characterises the West Midlands is also evident in all the winning projects.
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"The conservation work on Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings is nothing short of exemplary and shows that, along with the community, education and environmental focus of the rest of the winners, localised architecture has a wider-reaching impact."
RIBA president Muyiwa Oki added: "This year's RIBA Award-winning schemes showcase the true value of quality architecture and the positive impact it has on people's lives.
"While carefully considering the needs of the environment, these truly remarkable places and spaces deliver for communities, residents, visitors and people of all ages up and down the country.
"They are pinnacles of design excellence and show what can be achieved when architects and clients collaborate successfully."