Latest news with #StirlingPrize
Time Out
2 days ago
- Business
- Time Out
London's Elizabeth Tower and Young V&A have just won very prestigious architecture awards
Last year a London building won the Stirling Prize, which is the most prestigious award in UK architecture and one of the world's most respected design prizes. None other than the Elizabeth line scooped the award, with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) – which runs the award – praising the line as a 'flawless, efficient, beautifully choreographed solution to inner-city transport'. The process of crowning the next Stirling Prize winner is already underway, with RIBA last week (on July 10) announcing its 2025 National Award winners. The National Awards, which have been held since 1966, are intended to both celebrate the best new pieces of British architecture and 'provide insight into the country's design and social trends'. Of RIBA's 20 National Award winners, a whopping eight are in London – and they feature some very familiar faces. The Elizabeth Tower – which is home to Big Ben – and Young V&A were among the award winners. The Elizabeth Tower picked up the gong for its conservation and refurbishment project, which started in 2015 and was undertaken by Purcell (architects which also revamped the National Portrait Gallery). Purcell didn't just repair much of the tower; the firm also had to fix 'detrimental previous interventions'. RIBA praised the project for its 'extensive' stone repairs, but also for the installation of a passenger lift. Young V&A (previously known at the V&A Museum of Childhood) reopened in 2023 to become 'the UK's first museum built with and for young people'. RIBA praised the project – which was by AOC Architecture and De Matos Ryan – for widely engaging with the public, and the new venue features a new exhibition space, shop, learning centre and more. Young V&A won Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024. The other six London buildings to get a RIBA National Award were: retrofitted 1970s Farringdon office building 8 Bleeding Heart Yard, contemporary Southwark almshouse Appleby Blue Almshouse, affordable Lewisham home development Citizens House, Battersea's barbershop-turned-home-and-workspace Costa's Barbers, south London Japanese-inspired home Niwa House, and the London College of Fashion 's new vertical campus in Stratford. Eventually RIBA's 20 National Award winners will be narrowed down to six, which will compete for the Stirling Prize. That shortlist will be revealed on September 4 Commenting on the National Award-winning projects, RIBA Awards Group Chair Simon Henley, said: 'Congratulations to each of this year's RIBA National Award winners. Each of these 20 winning projects is a powerful testament to the diversity and depth of our profession. They demonstrate how architecture is not just a creative force, but also central in addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time. 'This year's winners reflect the many and varied ways architects are being asked to work, and their incredible motivation and breadth of expertise. As a profession, we now look to the past as much as the future, and to care and repair as we do to build. We continue to innovate but we also seek continuity, and in so doing to make work of every scale that is engaging and thoughtful. The power of architecture to transform society and inform our way of life is on full display in every winning project.' You can find out more about each project on the RIBA website here.
Glasgow Times
05-07-2025
- Glasgow Times
St Leonards the coastal town just two hours from London
St Leonards-on-Sea is a small town described as a 'jewel' and was originally laid out to be a seaside resort by architect James Burton in the 19th century. Despite being in East Sussex, St Leonards is easy to reach from London, with driving time taking just over two hours. Or you can catch the train, which also takes around two and a half hours. Why you should visit St Leonards for a beach getaway Set next to the popular seaside town of Hastings, St Leonards was once a popular destination for the young Princess Victoria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, who would stay in the town over the winter months. St Leonards is described by The Modern House as offering a "picture-perfect seaside" view and is packed with great restaurants and boutiques. Known for its high street packed with independent businesses, the coastal town is the perfect place to visit if you're after a calm but shopping-filled weekend. Well-regarded shops along the high street include ladies' clothes store Boudoir, antique shop Teddy Tinker's, and clothing business Paisley and Friends. St Leonards also has plenty of places to eat, both along the promenade and along the high street. For fans of Seafood, St Clement's Restaurant is described as "fantastic" by locals, with one happy guest giving it a five-star rating on Google Reviews, sharing: "You'll be hard pushed to find a better restaurant than St Clement's. Why? Because consistently they just do food and service very, very well." Recommended Reading La Bella Vista is a local Italian restaurant in the town with an impressive 4.7 out of 5 rating, and saw one guest share: "Absolutely incredible experience! Food was out of this world, everything is freshly cooked, and you can taste it." St Leonard's is also home to the Hastings Pier, which sits in the middle of the two regions. The pier, built in 1872, was burnt down in 2010, but in 2016 it reopened and was rebuilt with a contemporary design that won the prestigious Stirling Prize in 2017.
New Statesman
04-07-2025
- General
- New Statesman
We need to ensure that we don't sacrifice quality design in the rush to 1.5 million homes
Photo by Shutterstock The government has committed to an ambitious target of delivering 1.5 million homes across the country during the course of this parliament. With 1.3 million households in England currently on social housing waiting lists, and research showing that building 90,000 social rented homes would add £51.2bn to the economy, there are clear moral and economic cases to make this happen. However, we need to guarantee that we don't sacrifice quality design in the rush to meet this aim. This means ensuring that buildings are designed proactively and strategically to meet the needs of residents and communities, while adhering to safety, sustainability and accessibility principles. At the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), we know that this is sorely needed – data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has shown that 54 per cent of local authorities surveyed in 2023 reported skills gaps in urban design and architecture, impacting the quality of delivery at all scales. Architects have a clear role to play in rectifying this, making sure that the homes we build are fit not just for the way we live now, but also for the future. This means designing homes with different typologies and prioritising a mix of tenures, with the aim of meeting current and projected need across all tenure types. Our 2024 report, Foundations for the Future, looks at one way to do just that – through an innovative model which proposes a one-off initial investment from central government to local authorities to deliver high-quality, well-designed homes for social rent and market sale. Making sure that social housing is also designed to exemplary standards is vital to the success of the government's housebuilding programme, and we know what difference it can make to people's lives. The winner of RIBA's 2019 Stirling Prize, Goldsmith Street, demonstrates this – not only do residents live in attractive, well-built homes, but also enjoy reduced energy bills due to the design solutions employed. On a wider scale, best practice design in terms of new homes also means considering design on the scale of place – bringing homes, public transport options, schools and workplaces, retail, green space and community space within close enough proximity to avoid overreliance on personal car use and maximise quality of life. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe This could be medium to high density neighbourhoods, mixed use development to maximise opportunities for interaction and access to shops and community facilities, and utilising sites near transport hubs. Architects are also well-placed to unlock challenging sites such as infill sites to deliver homes, using design solutions to increase volume and tackle viability issues. In doing so, new homes can benefit from existing infrastructure. Putting design quality at the front and centre of the way we look at housing delivery will require a real change in the way we think, particularly given the bold target that the government has set. But the economic and social gains we can make from ensuring that the homes we build improve our quality of life mean that it's one worth making. Related
BBC News
03-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Elizabeth line giant digital advertising screen plans criticised
Plans to install huge wraparound video adverts in Elizabeth line stations have raised fears that commuters will be "bombarded with ads".Transport for London's (TfL) advertising partner Global said it wants to introduce "world-first immersive formats" such as digital screens covering the walls and ceilings of the line's underground Hall's Green Party said the "digital wraps" could spoil the "beautiful, calming" design of the Elizabeth line, stations, which recently won the Stirling Prize for ArchitectureTfL said they were in early development and will be tested and assessed before they are introduced. 'Bombarded with ads' Caroline Russell, a Green member of the London Assembly, said the planned "sensory-heavy" wraparound screens raised "serious concerns for neurodiverse Londoners"."The Elizabeth Line stations are designed to be beautiful, calming environments through which many thousands of people pass every hour. "While advertising generates revenue that's reinvested back into the transport system, TfL is a public service – it shouldn't be so underfunded that Londoners are bombarded with ads just to keep the network afloat."A TfL spokesperson said: "A full Equality Impact Assessment will also be carried out to ensure that the needs of all customers are fully considered." In addition to its plans for the Elizabeth line, Global has said it wants to transform the 160m long moving walkway at Waterloo Tube station into a "multi-sensory experience" featuring eight large digital screens, "combining sound, 3D visuals, scent and motion".Across the wider Underground network, the advertising giant wants install more than 1,000 standard-sized digital screens "designed to immerse, inspire and move Londoners like never before".Global said its plans were "underpinned by sustainability – from solar-powered screen assembly to carbon-neutral materials and modular screens that can be repaired easily".Chris Forrester, managing director of commercial said: "Londoners have always looked to the Tube to tell them what's going on, what's new, and where they need to be."The corridors and carriages of the London Underground aren't just ad space – they're a part of the very fabric of London life and a creative canvas for advertisers".
BBC News
13-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
RIBA London: More than 70 projects shortlisted for awards
A secondary school for boys in Islington and the Royal College of Music are among more than 70 projects shortlisted for architectural 78 projects shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) London Awards 2025 also include the Elizabeth Tower at the House of Commons, Tower Hamlets Town Hall and the London College of will all be visited by a regional jury with winners announced this Nahar, RIBA's regional director for London, said the shortlisted projects collectively "capture and celebrate the city's diverse cultural identity, contributing to inclusive and sustainable communities". "Individually, each initiative not only improves the physical environment but also enhances the quality of life for all of us who live, work and study here," he RIBA awards have been running since 1966 and the winners will be considered for several special Awards before being considered for the National Award, which will be announced in summer. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize – the UK's best new building – will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects and announced in September. The Stirling Prize winner, the UK's most prestigious architecture prize, will be announced in October.
