RIBA announces shortlist for the Stephen Lawrence Prize 2024

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the shortlist for the Stephen Lawrence Prize 2024, with projects presenting a fusion of social purpose and restorative design.

Founded by Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE and the Marco Goldschmeid Foundation, the annual prize was established in 1998 in memory of Stephen Lawrence, a teenager and aspiring architect who was the victim of a fatal racist attack in 1993.

Intended to encourage new talent and inspire others in the early stages of their architectural career, the award exclusively recognises projects led by an early career project architect. This is typically someone who has qualified within five years prior to the project’s completion date.

With shared themes of refuge, ambition, and restoration, this year’s shortlisted projects offer inspiring examples of early career architects placing social value and community at the heart of their work.

Images: Top row, left to right: The Little Big House © Edmund Sumner, Plas Glyn-y-Weddw Arts Centre Café © Gareth Jenkins Photography. Bottom left: Wraxall Yard © Lorenzo Zandri. Centre: Chowdhury Walk © Rory Gardiner. Bottom centre: Bluebird © Billy Haynes, Miru3D. Bottom right: Southwark House © Jim Stephenson.

The six shortlisted projects are:

• Bluebird by SKArchitects (Project Architect: Danielle Simpson). A housing scheme providing joy, dignity, and community. 50 rooms for homeless people, together with communal facilities, offer a step towards independent living.
• Chowdhury Walk by Al-Jawad Pike (Project Architect: Filippo Antonucci). A sculptural infill development heralding the beginnings of an ambitious programme of new generation council housing by Hackney Council.
• The Little Big House by Knox Bhavan (Project Architect: Fergus Knox). An accessible private oasis delightfully balancing the need for practical storage of medical equipment and live-in care with a warm, homely character.
• Plas Glyn-y-Weddw Arts Centre café by Mark Wray Architects (Project Architect: Sebastian Walker), Sanderson Sculptures, and Fold Engineering. A sensitive intervention of a marine-inspired café provides a striking and inspired contrast to the adjacent listed structure.
• Southwark House by VATRAA (Project Architect: Anamaria Pircu). A home of distinct character and warmth, this transformed 76 square metre former council house offers lessons in environmental and spatial reinvention.
• Wraxall Yard by Clementine Blakemore Architects (Project Architect: Clementine Blakemore). A breath of fresh air in the field of accommodation for people with disabilities. This disused Dorset dairy farm has been transformed into a community space, accommodation, and educational smallholding.

Matthew Goldschmied, Jury Chair, Managing Trustee at the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, said: “This year’s shortlisted projects all express an intention to provide therapeutic engagement with their users, their communities and their environment. Each, in some way, promises and delivers a place of comfort and reassurance. The recently qualified project architects in all cases have been instrumental in delivering these exemplary buildings.

“The jury deliberations are challenging when the overall quality of eligible projects is so high, and this year was no exception. In celebrating the achievements of early-career practitioners, all those who follow can be inspired and encouraged to make a positive contribution to their communities and to their profession.”

RIBA President Muyiwa Oki said: “It’s inspiring to see that each shortlisted project places social value and community at its core. From retrofits that radically transform accessibility to a refuge for homeless people, each project is a testament to a thoughtful and engaged cohort of architects and I’m delighted to see them taking the lead as true agents of change.”

The Stephen Lawrence Prize 2024 jury comprised: Managing Trustee of the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, Matthew Goldschmied (Chair); Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE; winner of the Stephen Lawrence Prize 2023 and Founding Director of Conrad Koslowsky Architects, Conrad Koslowsky; and student mentee and Central St Martins student, Sanjana Narayanan.

The Stephen Lawrence Prize shortlist is selected from winners of the RIBA Regional Awards 2024. 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 Wednesday 16 October 2024 at The Roundhouse in London.