The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winners of the 2024 RIBA Awards at a ceremony held on 16 October at London’s Roundhouse.
The Elizabeth Line, designed by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and AtkinsRéalis, was named as the winner of the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize, which recognises the UK’s best new architecture.
Four RIBA Special Awards were also announced:
- Croft 3 in the Isle of Mull, by fardaa, won the RIBA Reinvention Award
- Wraxall Yard in Dorset, by Clementine Blakemore Architects, won the Stephen Lawrence Prize
- Chowdhury Walk in Hackney, by Al-Jawad Pike, won the Neave Brown Award for Housing
- Shakespeare North Trust and Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council won the Client of the Year Award for Shakespeare North in Prescot, by Helm Architecture
The Elizabeth Line
The Elizabeth Line – named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II – runs from Reading and Heathrow to Essex and South East London. It spans 62 miles of track and 26 miles of tunnels, accommodating 700,000 passengers every weekday, and is, says RIBA, “an extraordinary complex architectural feat masked by an elegant simplicity.”
Six million tonnes of earth were excavated to create room for the tunnels in what became Britain’s largest ever archaeological dig, repurposed to create a nature reserve in Essex. The Elizabeth Line was designed to provide a quiet and calm environment, and features a “muted palette” of perforated cladding, sensitive lighting and coherent wayfinding systems. Curvaceous, fluid lines guide passengers around corners, down vaulted tunnels and onto the wide platforms. The lighting shifts between warmer and cooler tones to highlight different levels and junctures.
Step-free access features throughout, and sensory experience considerations include hidden acoustic mats to absorb noise, the removal of unnecessary fixtures and fittings, and a restrained colour palette. Passive cooling at platform level and escalator motion sensors, as well as provision for further air conditioning and temperature control, are some of the environmental considerations included.
The Elizabeth Line is the result of a collaboration between architects, engineers and designers. The Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and AtkinsRéalis team “have designed a highly-inclusive, cohesive transport system that has already evidenced its social, environmental, and economic value,” says RIBA.
Speaking on behalf of the jury, Muyiwa Oki, RIBA President and Jury Chair said: “The Elizabeth Line is a triumph in architect-led collaboration, offering a flawless, efficient, beautifully choreographed solution to inner-city transport. It’s an uncluttered canvas that incorporates a slick suite of architectural components to create a consistent, line-wide identity – through which thousands of daily passengers navigate with ease.”
Croft 3
Winner of the RIBA Reinvention Award, Croft 3 by fardaa saw the restoration of an original croft building into a dining hall, with a new extension housing a kitchen, entrance, and back-of-house spaces. Located in the remote Isle of Mull in Scotland, it was purchased by its owner to expand her local restaurant. The low-carbon restoration “honours the nature of the ruin and the cultural and historical traditions of the locale,” RIBA says.
Wraxall Yard
The Stephen Lawrence Prize, established in 1998 in memory of Stephen Lawrence, recognises projects led by an early career project architect. Wraxall Yard director Nick Read has personal experience with inaccessible holiday accommodation for wheelchair users so partnered with architect Clementine Blakemore to restore and convert the ruins of the old dairy farm into highly accessible holiday lets. Clever landscaping, polished concrete floors and exposed doorframes are some of the features included to prioritise accessibility in an elegant way. RIBA says: “The project proves that inclusive design is not only a set of standards that need to be met, but something that enhances the experience of space for everyone.”
Chowdhury Walk
Al-Jawad Pike’s Chowdhury Walk was awarded the Neave Brown Award for Housing, which recognises the UK’s best new affordable housing. The project is part of an ambitious programme of new generation council housing by Hackney Council, built on a plot that previously housed garages and ad-hoc parking.
In total there are 11 new two, three, and four bedroom homes, seven of which are for social rent. The houses were built using cross-laminated timber, and were staggered in a way to move away from the traditional linear terrace house arrangement, providing residents with added privacy and supporting passive solar gain. “Chowdhury Walk offers a blueprint for social housing – an elegant piece of high quality urban placemaking that generously serves both its residents and passers-by,” comments RIBA.
Shakespeare North Trust and Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council
The RIBA Client of the Year Award was presented to Shakespeare North Trust and Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council for their community regeneration project Shakespeare North in Prescot. The new theatre building promotes “learning, experimentation, and reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s works.” It was built on a former council-owned car park and includes an exhibition space, outdoor performance area, seminar rooms and the only known purpose-built indoor Elizabethan theatre. Judges praised “the client’s dedication to social purpose and local investment throughout the project, with an emphasis on creating partnerships with local merchants and collaborations with independent businesses.”