Five wins at the RIBA National Awards!
We are delighted that five of our projects have been named winners of a RIBA National Award 2023, including one project that is also in the running for two additional prestigious RIBA prizes.
The RIBA National Awards aims to recognise the country's best new buildings and provide insight into their designs. Winning projects get the chance to be considered for the Stirling Prize – the highest prize in British architecture.
Our award-winning projects are:
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© Jim Stephenson
Agar Grove 1b
Architect: Mæ and Hawkins\Brown
Client: Camden Council
The redevelopment of Agar Grove Estate sets a standard for social housing in the UK. As a "proof of concept" for large-scale Passivhaus developments in the UK, it has meaningfully tackled fuel poverty by reducing residents' fuel bills by 70% and has influenced changes to the London Plan's approach to district heat networks.
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© David Grandorge
Central Somers Town
Architect: Adam Khan Architects
Client: London Borough of Camden
Central Somers Town Community Facilities and Housing are part of a larger masterplan commissioned by the London Borough of Camden for an extensive area within the Central London neighbourhood of Somers Town, adjacent to St Pancras station. Adam Khan Architects was asked to design and supervise the construction of a flexible community children’s facility as well as several housing units for social rent.
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© Benedict Johnson
Courtauld Connects, Courtauld Institute of Art
Architect: Witherford Watson Mann Architects
Client: The Courtauld Institute of Art
The transformation of the Courtauld Gallery is the most significant redevelopment of the Courtauld Institute of Art since its relocation to Somerset House in 1989. Developed through extensive engagement with staff and students, and negotiated with heritage authorities, it aims to support the overall vision of the Courtauld by maximising the potential of the unique heritage site and creating fit-for-purpose spaces integrating all of the elements of the Courtauld’s operation, meeting current needs and enabling future sustainability.
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© Kilian O'Sullivan
Edith Neville School
Architect: Hayhurst & Co Architects
Client: London Borough of Camden
Edith Neville Primary School is an extremely popular primary school, at the core of Camden’s first phase of regeneration for Somers Town, replacing a previous dilapidated building that had been in operation since the 1970s. The school is conceived as part of the surrounding parkland landscape and its building and boundary have been thoughtfully designed to extend the park, both physically and in terms of perception.
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© David Grandorge
A House for Artists
Architect: Apparata Architects
Client: London Borough of Barking & Dagenham; co-commissioned by Create London, delivered by Be First, and supported by the GLA
A flexible live/work space for 12 artists arranged across five floors. In exchange for reduced rent, the residents deliver free creative programmes for the neighbourhood through a street-facing, glass-walled community hall and outdoor exhibition space on the ground floor.
A House for Artists has also been named among the finalists for the Stephen Lawrence Prize for young and aspiring architects, and the Neave Brown Prize for affordable housing projects.
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NEAVE BROWN AWARD
RIBA has announced the four projects in the running to win this year’s Neave Brown Award for affordable housing.
The institute has shortlisted ‘four buildings that raise the bar for architecture with social impact’ for the award, named after Modernist architect and social housing pioneer Neave Brown (1929-2018).
Alongside A House for Artists, Agar Grove Phase 1b is also in the running for the Neave Brown Award.
RIBA judges said the shortlisted buildings were ‘exceptional examples’ of affordable housing, demonstrating ‘how innovative architectural design can play a significant role in helping to address wider societal issues'.
STEPHEN LAWRENCE PRIZE
The first finalists have been revealed for the relaunched Stephen Lawrence Prize, which is now only open to young and emerging architects.
The prize, set up in memory of aspiring architect Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993, will focus solely on schemes completed by an ‘early career’ project architect. This was defined as ‘typically someone who has qualified within five years prior to the project’s completion date’.
A House for Artists and Museum of the Home are both in the running for the prize.
“From projects that make creative use of existing structures and everyday materials, to public spaces that bring communities together, this year’s shortlist celebrates an inspiring range of forward-thinking projects and six brilliantly talented early-career architects.
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“These are buildings that all address accessibility and social equity in some way, reminding us that excellent design can enrich people’s everyday lives.”