RIBA names UK's best buildings of 2024
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 Nรญall 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 Page\Park 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
โบ Beechwood Village by Pollard Thomas Edwards
โบ Dining Hall, Homerton College, Cambridge by Feilden Fowles Architects
โบ WongAvery Gallery by Nรญall McLaughlin Architects
East Midlands
โบ Alfreton Park Community Special School by Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture
London
โบ Battersea Power Station Phase Two by WilkinsonEyre
โบ Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio
โบ Chowdhury Walk by Al-Jawad Pike
โบ King's Cross Masterplan by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates
โบ National Portrait Gallery by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell
โบ Paddington Elizabeth Line Station by Weston Williamson + Partners
โบ Royal Academy of Dance by Takero Shimazaki Architects
โบ Six Columns by 31/44 Architects
โบ Thames Christian School and Battersea Chapel by Henley Halebrown
โบ The Arbour by Boehm Lynas and GS8
โบ The Black & White Building by Waugh Thistleton Architects
โบ The Elizabeth Line by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and Atkins
North East
โบ Auckland Castle, Tower and Faith Museum by Nรญall McLaughlin and Purcell
Northern Ireland
โบ House on Redbrae Farm by McGonigle McGrath Architects
Scotland
โบ North Gate Social Housing by Page\Park Architects
โบ The Fruitmarket Gallery by Reiach and Hall Architects
South
โบ New Temple Complex by James Gorst Architects
South West
โบ Bath Abbey Footprint Project by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
โบ Farmworker's House by Hugh Strange Architects
โบ Wraxall Yard by Clementine Blakemore Architects
West Midlands
โบ Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Yorkshire
โบ Park Hill Phase 2 by Mikhail Riches