RIBA announces shortlist for 2023 Stephen Lawrence Prize: an inspiring snapshot of early career talent in architecture

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the shortlist for the 2023 Stephen Lawrence Prize.

Now in its 25th year, the annual Stephen Lawrence Prize was founded in 1998 by Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE and Marco Goldschmied, in memory of Stephen Lawrence, an aspiring architect who was tragically murdered in a racist attack in 1993.

This year, for the first time, the prize celebrates new talent by exclusively recognising projects led by an early career project architect, typically someone who has qualified within five years prior to the project’s completion date.

Including the world’s first multistorey skatepark, the renovation of an 18th-century building into a modern and accessible public space, and a children’s home designed to calm and inspire its young residents - this year’s shortlist offers an exciting showcase of early career talent in architecture.

As part of the eligibility changes this year, an architecture student will join the jury on behalf of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation and go on to be mentored by the winning project architect.

Matthew Goldschmied, Jury Chair, Managing Trustee at the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, said: “From projects that make creative use of existing structures and everyday materials, to public spaces that bring communities together, this year’s shortlist celebrates an inspiring range of forward-thinking projects and six brilliantly talented early career architects. These are buildings that all address accessibility and social equity in some way, reminding us that excellent design can enrich people’s everyday lives.”

The 2023 Stephen Lawrence Prize jury comprised: Managing Trustee of the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, Matthew Goldschmied (Chair); Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE; winner of the 2022 Stephen Lawrence Prize and co-founder at Surman Weston, Percy Weston; and Student Juror on behalf of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, Adefunmilayo Adebiyi.

As in previous years, the Stephen Lawrence Prize shortlist was selected from winners of the UK RIBA Regional Awards. Project Architects – including their year of qualification – were identified at the point of entry. The winner will be announced at the RIBA Stirling Prize ceremony on Thursday 19 October 2023 at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester.

The six shortlisted projects are:

• A House for Artists by Apparata Architects. A flexible live/work space for 12 artists arranged across five floors. In exchange for reduced rent, the residents deliver free creative programmes for the neighbourhood through a street-facing, glass-walled community hall and outdoor exhibition space on the ground floor.
• Curzon Camden by Takero Shimazaki Architects. A cinema tucked under the arches of a railway viaduct in London’s Camden. A playful and yet sober and sophisticated response to this highly unusual context.
• F51 Sports Park by Hollaway Studio. A multi-storey skatepark in Kent, providing a space for nurturing young people through sport.
• Lighthouse Children's Home by Conrad Koslowsky Architects. Built in the Arts and Crafts style and latterly derelict, the former south west London care home now has six generous children’s bedrooms.
• Manber Jeffries House by James Alder Architects. An exquisitely conceived extension to a garden flat within a Victorian semi-detached villa in Willesden Green, London.
• Museum of the Home by Wright & Wright Architects. A renovation of a Grade I-listed alms house building set within a historic public garden, creating an unexpected green oasis in London’s Hackney.