A HAMPSHIRE-based company has won an international competition to design The Wall of Answered Prayer – a structure that will equal the size of 62 semi-detached houses.

Snug Architects, formerly based in Winchester and now in Totton, was selected from 133 entrants across 26 countries in the contest, which was organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The Wall will stand 50-metres high on a 10-acre site between the M6, M42 and HS2 in Birmingham, and is expected to be seen by more than 500,000 people every week.

Paul Bulkeley, design director at Snug, said: “It is an honour, a huge privilege, to have been chosen to design and deliver this nationally significant project.

“We are excited by the vision behind this ground-breaking design and are looking forward to working with the team to see it become a reality.

“There was an initial wave of excitement when we found out we had won. The responsibilities have now set in, and that excitement will resonate throughout our work.”

He added: “We believe this is an inspired design that will itself both inspire and engage visitors for many years to come.”

The project aims to create a lasting monument and piece of public art, and will be constructed from a million bricks, each one funded by a £10 donation and symbolising a prayer answered.

It is the vision of Richard Gamble, former Leicester City Football Club chaplain, to build a “colossal national landmark of hope”.

Mr Gamble said: “I have been blown away by the incredible imagination demonstrated in each of the designs put forward but Snug’s entry was truly awe inspiring and I am confident that the finished article will be equally impressive.

“The Wall has been a dream for 15 years but moved into the realms of reality following a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

“In an effort to give back to the communities who have supported us in getting to this point, we will also be donating one million bricks to social housing projects across the UK.”