RIBA Regional Awards: London winners announced

A total of 40 projects, chosen from a shortlist of 76, have been named as winners as part of the RIBA London Awards 2024, with Grimshaw, 31/44, Surman Weston and Waugh Thistleton Architects, among others, announced as winners.

The Elizabeth Line, by Grimshaw. Credit: Hufton + Crow

The 2024 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) regional awards are underway and the winners of the London Awards have been announced.

The Elizabeth Line by Grimshaw (working with Maynard, Equation and Atkins) was named as winner of RIBA London Building of the Year Award for 2024, lauded by the judges as “The most significant contribution to London’s transportation in over 20 years.”

Chosen from a shortlist of 76 projects, the mega-infrastructure project took the main prize as a total of 40 winners were unveiled – view all, below. Each will now go on to be considered for the RIBA National Awards, announced on 11 July, which will in turn, be used to compile the shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize, drawn later this year.

Speaking in a statement, RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki, said:

“This year’s RIBA Award winning schemes showcase the true value of quality architecture, and the positive impact it has on people’s lives. While carefully considering the needs of the environment, these truly remarkable places and spaces deliver for communities, for residents, for visitors, and people of all ages up and down the country. They are pinnacles of design excellence, and show what can be achieved when architects and clients collaborate successfully.”

RIBA Regional Director of London, Dian Small, added:

“There’s so much to love about this year’s RIBA London winners. With a huge range of styles, sectors and scales covered, they reflect the rich quality of world-class architecture being delivered in this city. IIt was great to see that inclusion and accessibility were key considerations across all projects, allowing everyone to experience the delights of architecture. Congratulations to all involved!”

Up close: RIBA London Award winner
The Elizabeth Line by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and Atkins

Photographs by Hufton + Crow

What the jury said:
“The passenger experience feels significantly different from other tube lines. The Elizabeth Line’s spaces are decluttered and calm, and the acoustics feel appropriately muted. The overall material palette is limited, with concrete-lined walls, and glass and stainless steel to the platform edge screens and technological totems. Grouping the technology has also rationalised servicing, maintenance, and replacement.

Passenger wayfinding is key to the experience. Information has been cleverly ordered. Waiting for the train, the directions are clearly displayed only on the platform edge screen. Stepping off the train, you will find the guidance you need on the back wall of the tunnel, facing you. There are no other display distractions here.

As a vast infrastructure project, the Elizabeth Line defies most of the current metrics of the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge. The initial whole life carbon assessment revealed that a huge amount of carbon would be used in the creation of the tunnels. (Almost 100% of excavated material was diverted from landfill and deposited at a nature reserve in Essex.) The 120 year lifespan of the project meant that much could be attributed to operational energy, far outweighing the embodied carbon created. This realigned the focus on the operation and maintenance of the scheme, with easily replaceable and accessible elements. Ultimately the team created their own benchmarks, which has resulted in this being one of the UK’s most sustainable infrastructure projects.”

Full list of the London ‘Special’ Awards:

The Black & White Building – RIBA London Client of the Year 2024
The Elizabeth Line – RIBA London Building of the Year 2024
Peckham House – RIBA London Project Architect of the Year Award 2024
The Arbour – RIBA London Sustainability Award 2024
Six Columns – RIBA London Small Project of the Year 2024
Battersea Power Station Phase Two – RIBA London Conservation Award 2024

The 2024 RIBA London Award winning projects:

RIBA London (East)

Chowdhury Walk by Al-Jawad Pike
Fish Island Village by Haworth Tompkins, Lyndon Goode Architects, Pitman Tozer Architects, Bureau de Change
Shakespeare Tower, Barbican by Takero Shimazaki Architects
St Andrew Holborn by DaeWha Kang Design
The Arbour by Boehm Lynas and GS8
The Black & White Building by Waugh Thistleton Architects
The Elizabeth Line by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, Atkins
The Learning Tree Nursery by Delve Architects

RIBA London (North)

22 Handyside Street by Coffey Architects
Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio
Brent Cross Town Visitor Pavilion by Moxon Architects Ltd
Dover Court Estate by Pollard Thomas Edwards
Hampstead House by Coppin Dockray
King’s Cross Masterplan by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates
Sycamore House by Jonathan Wilson RIBA with Circle Architecture
Unity Place by Design Architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Alison Brooks Architects and Gort Scott, with Delivery Architect RM_A Architects

RIBA London (South East)

67 Southwark Street by Allies and Morrison
Abbey Wood Station by Fereday Pollard Architects
All Saints by EPR Architects
Love Walk II by Knox Bhavan Architects
LSBU Hub by WilkinsonEyre
Peckham House by Surman Weston
Rotherhithe Primary School by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Six Columns by 31/44 Architects
Southwark House Renovation by VATRAA
St John’s Waterloo by Eric Parry Architects
The Africa Centre by Freehaus
The Tree House by Bell Phillips

RIBA London (South West)

Battersea Power Station Phase Two by WilkinsonEyre
Royal Academy of Dance by Takero Shimazaki Architects
Somerset Road Covered Courts: All England Lawn Tennis Club by Hopkins Architects
Sunday Mills by Assael Architecture
Thames Christian School & Battersea Chapel by Henley Halebrown
The Department Store Studios by Squire & Partners

RIBA London (West)