Sheffield’s Park Hill Estate, London’s Battersea Power Station and a timber-framed dining hall at the University of Cambridge have been named among the winners of the Royal Institute of British Architects’ National Awards for 2024.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced 26 winners this year, including projects designed by Níall McLaughlin Architects, Waugh Thistleton Architects and WilkinsonEyre.
The annual RIBA National Awards, which was established in 1966, aims to celebrate the country’s best new buildings and give insight into its architectural design and social trends.
This year’s winning projects ranged in scale from rural houses and restorations to major projects like London’s Kings Cross masterplan and Elizabeth Line railway.
“The sheer breadth of work is quite astounding, with large infrastructure schemes sitting alongside high-quality detailed smaller projects,” said RIBA president Muyiwa Oki.
“This is a testament to the standard of architecture in the UK right now, as we maintain a sense of ambition and consider how design must evolve to meet future needs.”
The majority of the 26 winning projects were located in the south of England, including 12 in London.
Among the projects based in the British capital are the restoration of Battersea Power Station by WilkinsonEyre, the renovation of the National Portrait Gallery by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell and a mass-timber office building by Waugh Thistleton Architects.
London’s Elizabeth Line was also highlighted as one of the UK’s best built projects, with line works by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and Atkins, and the Paddington station by Weston Williamson + Partners both named winners.
A social housing project in Glasgow by PagePark Architects and a gallery in Edinburgh by Reiach and Hall Architects made up the Scottish winners, while a rural family home by McGonigle McGrath Architects was the only winning building in Northern Ireland.
A number of restoration and adaptive reuse projects were also among the winners. These included the restoration of the brutalist Park Hill Estate in Sheffield, the conversion of the 18th-century Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings and the transformation of a Victorian terrace into the Bradbury Works workspace.
Projects with a focus on sustainable materials included a timber-framed dining hall at the University of Cambridge’s Homerton College designed by Feilden Fowles and a non-denominational temple complex in Hampshire by James Gorst Architects, which features timber-framed pavilions connected by cloistered walkways.
The winners of the RIBA National Awards are eligible to be considered for the shortlist for the prestigious Stirling Prize, which will be announced on 31 July.
The full list of RIBA National Awards winners is below:
East
› Beechwood Village by Pollard Thomas Edwards
› Dining Hall, Homerton College, Cambridge by Feilden Fowles Architects
› WongAvery Gallery by Níall McLaughlin Architects
East Midlands
› Alfreton Park Community Special School by Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture
London
› Battersea Power Station Phase Two by WilkinsonEyre
› Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio
› Chowdhury Walk by Al-Jawad Pike
› King’s Cross Masterplan by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates
› National Portrait Gallery by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell
› Paddington Elizabeth Line Station by Weston Williamson + Partners
› Royal Academy of Dance by Takero Shimazaki Architects
› Six Columns by 31/44 Architects
› Thames Christian School and Battersea Chapel by Henley Halebrown
› The Arbour by Boehm Lynas and GS8
› The Black & White Building by Waugh Thistleton Architects
› The Elizabeth Line by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and Atkins
North East
› Auckland Castle, Tower and Faith Museum by Níall McLaughlin and Purcell
Northern Ireland
› House on Redbrae Farm by McGonigle McGrath Architects
Scotland
› North Gate Social Housing by PagePark Architects
› The Fruitmarket Gallery by Reiach and Hall Architects
South
› New Temple Complex by James Gorst Architects
South West
› Bath Abbey Footprint Project by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
› Farmworker’s House by Hugh Strange Architects
› Wraxall Yard by Clementine Blakemore Architects
West Midlands
› Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Yorkshire
› Park Hill Phase 2 by Mikhail Riches
