The RIBA Stirling Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in building design, recognising the most significant contributions to British architecture. Six buildings have been nominated for the accolade this year, including two ambitious housing schemes and four places of learning; all with a focus on sustainability and innovation. 

“As we grapple with housing, energy and climate crises, these six projects give cause for optimism, each offering innovative solutions to the challenges of today and the future,” comments RIBA president Simon Allford.

Last year, Lyons O’Neill was absolutely thrilled to see the Town House at Kingston University, a project our team was proud to have worked on, named winner of the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize in 2021. 

Our contributions included designing a system of secondary steelwork to enable the brick skin facades to be supported without exerting loads onto the façade precast panels; designing frames to support the large-scale movable partitions which contribute to the ‘openness’ of the building, and undertaking vibration analysis on the two dramatic steel scissor stairs in the atrium. 

(Left) Our winner, Kingston University Townhouse.

There are some equally interesting and ambitious projects shortlisted for the award this year, covering a range of industries and purposes. 

• 100 Liverpool Street By Hopkins Architects.

This refurbishment project transforms a former 1980s office building with deep floor plates into a high-quality, flexible commercial building fit for the 21st century.

• Forth Valley College by Reiach and Hall Architects.

Replacing a 1960s building that had reached the end of its useful life on the site adjacent, the new campus buildings hark back to the architecture of the era with long, low-slung elevations. 

• Hackney New Primary and adjacent residential buildings by Henley Halebrown.

The project comprises a primary school alongside a new housing block, both on a single, tight urban site. All built using signature pink-dyed brickwork. 

• Orchard Green, Elephant Park by By Panter Hudspith Architects.

Made up of 228 brand new homes and 2,500sqm of retail and cultural spaces, Orchard Gardens is an entire city block and a major component of Elephant & Castle’s recent regeneration. 

• Sands Ends Community Centre by Mae Architects.

Over a third of the building was funded by Tideway and Chelsea Football Club and was made from recycled products with energy-saving features including responsibly sourced timber solar panels. 

• The New Library at Magdalene College by Niall McLaughlin Architects.

This sensitively designed building incorporates a series of chimneys that draw hot air through the building. There are backup fans in case the weather is too still to pull the air through, but it’s otherwise sustainable active ventilation that you don’t have to plug in.

The winner of the 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize will be announced on Thursday 13 October 2022 at RIBA’s London headquarters, and we wish all the contenders the very best of luck.