The Elizabeth Line, London’s impressive rail network that began operations in 2022, has been named a finalist for the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize, a prestigious award for architectural excellence. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has shortlisted the line alongside five other outstanding sites and structures, including the National Portrait Gallery and a groundbreaking social housing project in East London.
With four of the six nominees located in London, the capital’s architectural scene is clearly thriving. The winner of this esteemed prize will be revealed in October at the iconic Roundhouse in London. Last year’s award went to the John Morden Centre, a retirement day care facility, praised for setting a new standard in social healthcare architecture.
The RIBA Stirling Prize, established in 1996, celebrates the architect of the building deemed the most significant of the year. This honor is based on various criteria, including design vision, innovation, and originality. Past winners have included landmarks such as Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre and the Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh.
This year’s nominees are:
- Chowdhury Walk, London (by Al-Jawad Pike): Featuring 11 homes, seven of which are social housing, this project was commended for its exemplary blueprint for social housing. The design creates a striking presence with its sculptural form along a newly created public thoroughfare.
- The Elizabeth Line, London (Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, and Atkins): Already honored as RIBA’s London Building of the Year, the Elizabeth line is lauded as a “transport tour de force.” The jury praised it as a major infrastructure project that sets a new benchmark for inner-city transport, connecting Berkshire to Essex.
- King’s Cross Masterplan, London (Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates): Two decades in the making, this project has transformed King’s Cross into a vibrant urban hub. It includes new streets, squares, and an urban beach by Regent’s Canal, praised for reintegrating a previously isolated part of the city.
- National Portrait Gallery, London (Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell): Reopened after a three-year refurbishment, the gallery now boasts a welcoming new entrance with bronze doors by Tracey Emin. The redesign enhances visitor experience and accessibility, making the building more open to all.
- Park Hill Phase 2, Sheffield (Mikhail Riches): Originally opened in 1961 as an ambitious inner-city housing project, Park Hill has been revitalized. Its first phase was also nominated in 2013, and the site is the setting for an Olivier-winning musical that recently ran in London’s West End.
- Wraxall Yard, Dorset (Clementine Blakemore Architects): Formerly a dilapidated dairy farm, Wraxall Yard has been transformed into an accessible rural retreat. With extensive yet subtle accessible features, it provides independence for disabled guests, particularly wheelchair users.
The Elizabeth line’s eligibility this year comes after RIBA’s rule requiring projects to be in use for at least one year, meaning projects completed between October 2020 and December 2022 qualify. RIBA President Muyiwa Oki praised this year’s nominees for their ingenuity and diversity, emphasizing their role in raising the bar for sustainable and innovative architecture.
Oki highlighted the significance of these projects in today’s context, noting that “at a time when the need to preserve our planet’s resources is greater than ever, these projects are to be commended for placing regeneration and restoration front and center.”
Author: Jonathan Thomas
Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.