Stirling Prize 2025 Nominations Announced

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• Stirling Prize 2025 Nominations Announced

08 September 2025

Six projects have been shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025, the highest architectural accolade.

The shortlist includes the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben’s iconic bell, and the London College of Fashion’s new home in Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford.

 

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The projects are judged on fitness for purpose, design vision, innovation and originality, capacity to stimulate, engage and delight occupants and visitors, accessibility, sustainability and the level of client satisfaction.

It is the first time that architects Hugh Strange and Takero Shimanzaki have been shortlisted for the prize.

RIBA President Chris Williamson says that the projects “offer a hopeful vision for the future, one where architecture strengthens communities and helps shape a more sustainable and inclusive built environment.” 

Let’s take a closer look at the shortlist:

 

Appleby Blue Almshouse by Witherford Watson Mann Architects 

 

This abandoned care home re-imagines the traditional almshouse for the 21st century, specifically aiming to foster community and reduce isolation among older residents. Communal spaces are prioritised, with a double-height garden room and kitchen that serve as gathering spots for meals and group activities. The project sought to “deinstitutionalise the typical model of older people’s housing” with its timber-clad interior, discreet accessibility features and terracotta paved hallways with benches and planters.

 

Elizabeth Tower by Purcell 

 

Over five years, the Iconic London landmark Elizabeth Tower underwent a meticulous repair of the tower's fabric, interior rooms, and the clock mechanism itself. This project was the most extensive renovation in the tower’s 160 year history, rectifying previous mistakes and extending the cycle of future repair works.

Improvements include extensive stone repairs, the refurbishment of various interior rooms for exhibitions and admin, and the insertion of a passenger lift. The RIBA jury called the project a “veritable masterclass in conservation and craftsmanship.”

 

Picture: a photograph showing the clock face of Big Ben when it was being renovated, covered in scaffolding. Image Credit: Purcell

 

Hastings House by Hugh Strange Architects 

 

This home extension and refurbishment saw a late 19th-century Victorian house perched on a west-facing slope transformed into “a house of contrasts.” The original Victorian façade has been retained, with its stained glass, fretted barge boards and decorative hung clay tiles, which contrasts with the house’s timber-framed rear.

The architect was praised for its ”restrained, inventive reuse.”

 

London College of Fashion by Allies and Morrison 

 

The London College of Fashion’s new campus brings together its 6,000 staff and students for the first time. This 17-storey vertical campus sits between the V&A East Museum and the BBC Music Studios in Stratford. It is the largest structure on the East Bank and tallest higher-education building in the UK.

The building was designed before calculating embodied carbon was a requirement, however it exceeds the 2023 net-zero carbon targets when applied retrospectively.

 

Niwa House by Takero Shimazaki Architects 

 

Set in a once derelict plot in South London, Niwa House (Garden Home in Japanese) is a new build accessible home with a hybrid timber and stone structure. The project is noted for the quality of light throughout the home, thanks to its large full-height sliding doors and full-height glazed walls. The RIBA Jury citation states that “it is difficult to see where the building ends and the gardens begin."

 

The Discovery Centre (DISC) by Herzog and de Meuron / BDP 

 

The Discovery Centre (DISC), AstraZeneca’s global biomedical research and development facility, houses over 2,200 research scientists. It is noted for its laboratories with full-height interior glass walls and a publicly accessible courtyard reminiscent of Cambridge’s iconic college quadrangles.

 

Picture: a photograph of the DISC building showing the roof, façade and car park. Image Credit: ©Hufton+Crow

 

The winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 will be announced live at London’s Roundhouse on 16 October 2025.

Picture: a photograph showing the exterior of the London College of Fashion building, with the V&A East Museum to the left. Image Credit: Simon Menges

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 08 September 2025

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