Seven projects from six practices are in the running for the Royal Institute of British Architects Stephen Lawrence Prize 2022.

Photograph by Johan Dehlin

Launched in 1998 and founded by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, the Stephen Lawrence Prize recognises emerging architects and is for projects that have a construction budget below £1 million. The prize was established in memory of Stephen Lawrence who was on the road to becoming an architect and was murdered in 1993 in a racially motivated attack.

The seven projects in the running for the prize comprise work from Surman Weston, Gagarin Studio, McMahon Architecture, Sanchez Benton Architects, Chiles Evans + Care Architects and Will Gamble Architects.

Photograph by Jim Stephenson

Hackney School of Food by Surman Weston
London

This kitchen school designed by London studio Surman Weston proves a valuable community space in Hackney for children to learn how to grow and cook food. Occupying a formerly derelict school keeper’s house and garage, the architects communicate the building’s history and open it up to create a light-filled learning environment that couples with a garden and allotment outside. Read AT’s coverage of the project here.

Photograph by Andrew Wall

Leeds Footbridge by Gagarin Studio
Leeds

Hailing from Halifax, Gagarin Studio has produced a sculptural footbridge for Leeds city centre that connects a developing area of Leeds. Part of a ‘Climate Innovation District’ the bridge made from ribbed Corten steel balustrade profiles links neighbourhoods across the River Aire, east the city centre, establishing pedestrian activity and doubling-up as a structure that supplies services across the river including the district heating network.

Photograph by Fernando Manoso

Leyton House by McMahon Architecture
London

This four-storey dwelling bookends a short terrace of 1960s houses within a neighbourhood of predominantly Victorian apartments. Set back from the street, the new-build house employs brick at ground level, with timber cladding used for the upper floors. Inside, shifting planes facilitate the creation of internal courtyards, while linear roof lights also amplify the spatial and material qualities of the house, notably the internally exposed brickwork and clay plaster finishes.

Photograph by Oskar Proctor

Peveril Gardens and Studios by Sanchez Benton Architects
London

In Southwark, South London, Sanchez Benton Architects has transformed a disused Brutalist garage into artist studios. Supporting a thriving arts community, the space boasts a public walled garden, designed in collaboration with horticulturist Nigel Dunnett — a future proofed eco-system that offers the capacity to endure drought and neglect as London’s climate increasingly warms.

Photograph by Dug Wilder

Ravine House by Chiles Evans + Care Architects
East Midlands

Sheffield-based Chiles Evans + Care Architects has lovingly restored a modernist house that dates back to 1967 in the East Midlands. The architects have traced and celebrated details that draw from Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as mid-century modern furniture and fittings and early attempts at electric underfloor heating and double glazing. The house has been taken off mains gas and water supply, instead using a geothermal borehole, employing a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery within an airtight skin and solar panels to reduce electricity consumption.

Photograph by Johan Dehlin

The Parchment Works by Will Gamble Architects
East Midlands

Parchment Works in the East Midlands sees a grade II listed double-fronted Victorian house be extended by London practice Will Gamble Architects. The house looks onto the street in a formal manner, hiding a garden extension behind. The threshold to this extension see indoor and outdoor rooms riff on the ruined walls of a former parchment factory, the remnants of which are a designated scheduled monument.

Photograph by Johan Dehlin

Surbiton Springs by Surman Weston
London

The second project by Surman Weston is a two-storey contemporary A-Framed detached house in Surbiton, South London. Responding to a brief that called for a two-bedroomed home with industrial aesthetic, Surman Weston prioritised creating a dwelling that evoked a sense of openness and allowed living spaces to flow between each other, being able to be subdivided or left open as desired. Read AT’s coverage of the project, here.

The jury for the 2022 Stephen Lawrence Prize comprised: Managing Trustee of the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, Matthew Goldschmied (Chair); Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon Doreen Lawrence OBE; and winner of the 2021 Stephen Lawrence Prize and Director at Tonkin Liu Mike Tonkin.

“I am honoured to chair the Stephen Lawrence Prize jury in place of my father, Marco Goldschmied, who was sadly unable to participate this year, and has since passed away,” said Matthew Goldschmied. “As a jury, we were seriously encouraged by the climate-conscious ethos that underpins so many of these small projects. From those that prioritise the re-use and adaptation of existing buildings and historic structures, to those that experiment with materials and technologies to meet low-carbon ambitions.”

The winner of the Stephen Lawrence Prize 2022 will be unveiled on Thursday 13 October.