2024 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist: the six projects that made it in

The 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist has just been announced, signalling the start of a process that will crown the UK's best building of the year. The prestigious accolade, widely considered one of the highest honours in its field, will be presented on 16 October 2024. The winning design is among these six shortlisted projects, which span a range of typologies, in London, Dorset and Sheffield. This list was born from the 26 2024 RIBA National Awards, which were revealed earlier in July.

RIBA President Muyiwa Oki said: 'These projects demonstrate the ingenuity and diversity of architecture today. From major national infrastructure to brave and brilliant council-led housing, these varied schemes are united in making sensitive contributions to elevating everyday life. Whether raising the bar for social housing, upgrading city transportation or repurposing dilapidated buildings to create heritage-conscious urban and rural developments, each scheme thoughtfully adapts elements of our existing built environment. This is purposeful yet unassuming architecture – architecture that brings joy to people’s lives and strengthens the fabric of our society.'

2024 RIBA Stirling Prize: the shortlist

• Chowdhury Walk, London by Al-Jawad Pike 
• The Elizabeth Line, London Underground by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and Atkins
• King’s Cross Masterplan, London by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates
• National Portrait Gallery, London by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell
• Park Hill Phase 2, Sheffield by Mikhail Riches
• Wraxall Yard, Dorset by Clementine Blakemore Architects

2024 RIBA Stirling Prize: explore the 6 shortlisted projects

Chowdhury Walk, London, by Al-Jawad Pike 

Chowdhury Walk by Al-Jawad Pike is a development that repurposes under-used Hackney Council land to create new council homes for the community. 'Overall, Chowdhury Walk is an elegant piece of architectural and urban design, providing new homes that are successfully knit into their context – satisfying both resident and passer-by,' writes the jury in its citation.

The Elizabeth Line, London Underground, by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and Atkins

The Elizabeth Line is the most significant contribution to London’s transportation network in over 20 years – courtesy of Atkins, Grimshaw, GIA Equation and Maynard. All the stakeholders in this multi-billion-pound enterprise have played a very long game, whether they’re developers, architects, engineers, councils, or transport organisations. The first plans for what became known as Crossrail (and was subsequently named the Elizabeth Line in 2016) were mooted back in 1974, although plans for major cross-capital train tunnels date back to the 1940s. It seems to have paid off. The line, serving Londoners and visitors to the capital since its opening in May 2022, is among the six shortlisted projects.

King’s Cross Masterplan, London, by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates

This pioneering masterplan by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates set a new bar in city-making – King's Cross has been a contemporary exemplar of its typology. The jury wrote: 'The developer client was able to set goals for all the buildings and spaces, with reduction of energy demand, use of a district energy centre, decarbonisation, and energy procurement goals all embedded in the design briefs. Ten of the new buildings are BREEAM Outstanding. Combined with the carbon savings through retention and renovation of the historic buildings, it all makes for a robust sustainability narrative. King’s Cross Masterplan is a global exemplar in how to make a community of places which supports human activity, maintains an urban identity, and is supple enough to accommodate inevitable change.'

National Portrait Gallery, London, by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell

The summer 2023 reopening of London's National Portrait Gallery was one of the most highly anticipated relaunches of the year. The popular cultural attraction, set right in the heart of the capital, was reimagined by a team led by Jamie Fobert Architects and conservation specialist Purcell, with a new design that saw the institution's previously increasingly unfit quarters opened up in a generous and subtly luxurious new home. Architect and studio head Jamie Fobert said at the time: 'Hopefully, we have now achieved a much better balance between the building and its collection.'

Park Hill Phase 2, Sheffield, by Mikhail Riches

The ongoing regeneration of the much-discussed Grade II*-listed, brutalist Park Hill estate has completed its second phase, courtesy of Mikhail Riches. Writes the jury, in its citation for the project: 'The first phase of the project stripped the building back to its frame and used bright colours to create a distinctly modern appearance. In contrast, Phase 2 is a “lighter touch”, retaining more of the existing built fabric and employing more subtle colours to blend the complex into the landscape. These colours, referencing the nearby Peak District, are used on the balcony reveals and flat entrances, giving each flat its own identity while keeping the character of the overall building.'

Wraxall Yard, Dorset, by Clementine Blakemore Architects

A sensitively restored dairy farm offering inclusive holiday accommodation, a community space, and an educational smallholding, Wraxall Yard was created by Clementine Blakemore Architects. 'You could spend a long time here and keep finding new things. The touch of the designer feels light, the changes between materials are very natural, and the interfaces between buildings and landscaping are well considered. Most of the internal spaces are open to the rafters, but there are subtle changes in scale: from the two-storey elevation facing the car park, through a tall breezeway entrance porch, into the more intimate courtyard bounded by single-storey holiday cottages. Inside, the cottages retain a rustic feel with exposed trusses and glossy concrete floors,' reads the jury citation.

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