The Royal Institute
of British Architects (RIBA) has named Goldsmith Street in Norwich, designed by
Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley, as the winner of the 2019
RIBA Stirling Prize.
The annual prize,
presented since 1996, is awarded to the UK’s best new building.
Goldsmith Street is
comprised of almost 100 ultra low-energy homes for Norwich City Council.
In contrast to the
higher-rise flats dominating the surrounding area, Goldsmith Street is arranged
in seven terrace blocks, modelled on the Victorian streets of the nearby
‘Golden Triangle’ district.
Rows of two-storey
houses are bookended by three-storey flats, each with their own front door,
generous lobby space for prams and bikes, and a private balcony. The back
gardens of the central terraces share a secure ‘ginnel’ (alleyway) for children
to play together, and a wide landscaped walkway for communal gatherings runs
perpendicularly through the middle of the estate. Parking has been pushed to
the outer edges of the development, ensuring that people own the streets, not
their cars.
Goldsmith Street
meets rigorous ‘Passivhaus’ environmental standards – remarkable for a dense,
mass housing development. It is a passive solar scheme, designed to minimise
fuel bills for residents (annual energy costs are estimated to be 70% cheaper
than for the average household). To maximise solar gain, all homes face south
and every wall is over 600mm thick, and the roofs are angled at 15 degrees to
ensure each terrace does not block sunlight from homes in the street behind.
Even the smallest details have been meticulously considered: letterboxes are
built into external porches, rather than the front doors, to reduce any
possibility of draughts; and perforated aluminium ‘brise-soleils’ provide sun
shades above the windows and doors.
The palette of
building materials references Norwich’s history, such as the glossy black roof
pantiles – a nod to the city’s Dutch trading links – and the creamy clay
bricks, similar to Victorian terraces nearby. To ensure the windows echoed
Victorian proportions but also met ‘Passivhaus’ requirements, the architects
developed a recessed feature, giving the impression of a much larger opening
but limiting the amount of glass. Bespoke steel mesh garden gates and brightly
coloured front doors give each home a strong sense of individuality and
ownership.
The 2019 RIBA
Stirling Prize judges, chaired by Julia Barfield, said: “Goldsmith Street is a
modest masterpiece. It is high-quality architecture in its purest most
environmentally and socially-conscious form. Behind restrained creamy façades
are impeccably-detailed, highly sustainable homes – an incredible achievement
for a development of this scale. This is proper social housing, over ten years
in the making, delivered by an ambitious and thoughtful council. These
desirable, spacious, low-energy properties should be the norm for all council
housing.
"Over a quarter
of the site is communal space – evidence of the generosity of the scheme. A
secure alleyway connects neighbours at the bottom of their garden fences and a
lushly-planted communal area runs through the estate, providing an inviting place
for residents to gather and children to play, and fostering strong community
engagement and social cohesion.
"Goldsmith
Street is a ground-breaking project and an outstanding contribution to British
architecture.”
RIBA President Alan
Jones said: “Faced with a global climate emergency, the worst housing crisis
for generations and crippling local authority cuts, Goldsmith Street is a
beacon of hope. It is commended not just as a transformative social housing
scheme and eco-development, but a pioneering exemplar for other local
authorities to follow.”
David Mikhail of
Mikhail Riches, said: “Goldsmith Street’s success is testimony to the vision
and leadership of Norwich City Council. We thank them for their commitment and
support. They believe that council housing tenants deserve great design.
"It is not
often we are appointed to work on a project so closely aligned with what we
believe matters; buildings people love which are low impact. We hope other
Local Authorities will be inspired to deliver beautiful homes for people who
need them the most, and at an affordable price.
"To all the
residents – thank you for sharing your enthusiasm, and your homes, with
everyone who has visited.”
Councillor Gail
Harris, Norwich City Council’s cabinet member for social housing, said: “This
is an incredibly proud moment for Norwich, our strong history of building
social housing and our ambitions to raise environmental standards.
"Winning this
prestigious award shows that it is possible to build fantastic new council
homes, despite the challenges posed by central government cuts and restrictions
around Right to Buy receipts.
"We are so
grateful to Mikhail Riches for sharing our vision for these homes, and helping
us to create a sustainable community for our residents.”
Goldsmith Street was
chosen by the jury from the following outstanding shortlisted projects:
- Cork House, Berkshire by
Matthew Barnett Howland with Dido Milne and Oliver Wilton
- London Bridge Station by
Grimshaw
- Nevill Holt Opera,
Leicestershire by Witherford Watson Mann Architects
- The Macallan Distillery and
Visitor Experience, Moray by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
- The Weston, Yorkshire
Sculpture Park by Feilden Fowles Architects
The jury for the
2019 RIBA Stirling Prize was: Julia Barfield (Chair); RIBA President, Alan
Jones; 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize winner, Michael Jones, Foster + Partners; Lay
Assessor, Kathy Gee MBE and Zac Monro, Principal at Zac Monro Architects.
Architect Gary Clark was sustainability advisor.
