The RIBA London winners for 2014 are revealed

Saw Swee Hock Student Centre
2014's RIBA London Building of the Year went to Saw Swee Hock Student Centre designed by O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects.
(Image credit: Dennis Gilbert)

The RIBA's regional awards are an exciting moment in the capital's annual architecture calendar and as they are widely seen as a hint to the even more eagerly anticipated RIBA Stirling Prize, announced later in the year, we have more than one reason to feast our eyes upon this year's worthy winners.  

The 33 winning projects span smaller scale work, including private houses, and large-scale developments such as the Shard by Renzo Piano and the London Aquatics Centre Zaha Hadid. 173 entries led to 64 building nominations in categories that include Commercial, Education and Community, Arts & Leisure and Housing.

The awards' special categories are a big moment during the ceremony. The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre for the London School of Economics by O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects has won the top honour of RIBA London Building of the Year. More winners include practice RCKa, awarded Emerging Architect of the Year; Caruso St John, which scooped the conservation award (in partnership with the English Heritage) for its work at the Tate Britain Millbank Project; and 6a, which picked up the Small Projects Award for its Tree House private house.  

Finally, London-based practice Haworth Tompkins takes home the prestigious London Architect of the Year gong for its numerous and high quality projects in the UK capital. These have included eye-catching projects such as the Shed at the National Theatre and the Clothworkers' Centre for the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Interior of V&A's Clothworkers' Centre for the conservation of textiles and fashion

Haworth Tompkins won the RIBA London Architect of the Year Award for projects including the V&A's Clothworkers' Centre for the conservation of textiles and fashion.

(Image credit: Philip Vile)

The Shed, a red painted brick building with 4 corner chimneys

The Shed, also by Haworth Tompkins.

(Image credit: Philip Vile)

The London Library

The London Library, by Haworth Tomkins.

(Image credit: Philip Vile)

TBG Youth and Community Centre

TBG Youth and Community Centre by RCKa won the RIBA London Emerging Architect of the Year Award.

(Image credit: Jakob Spriestersbach)

Tate Britain Millbank

The RIBA London English Heritage Award for Preserving the Historic Environment went to the Tate Britain Millbank project by Caruso St John Architects.

(Image credit: Helene Binet)

Tree House - a wooden curved building surrounded by trees

The RIBA London Small Projects Award went to 6a Architects for Tree House.

(Image credit: 6a Architects)

Brent Civic Centre

Hopkins Architects won the London Sustainability Award for the Brent Civic Centre.

(Image credit: Morley von Sternberg)

The Garden School, Hackney

The RIBA London Client of the Year Award went to London Borough of Hackney Local Education Partnership with Mouchel Babcock for The Garden School by Gollifer Langston Architects.

(Image credit: Timothy Soar)

WoodBlock House - a brightly coloured wooden house with outside seating and dining

dRMM Architects won an award in the Housing category for WoodBlock House.

(Image credit: Alex DeRijke)

Lens House - a georgian brick house with modern black extension

Alison Brooks Architects also won an award in the Housing category for Lens House.

(Image credit: Paul Riddle)

Luker House - a yellow modern brick building with large black framed windows

Jamie Fobert Architects won an award in the Housing category for Luker House.

(Image credit: Olivier Hess)

Interior of The Workshop - a large open plan double height space

Henning Strummel Architects won an award in the Housing category for The Workshop

(Image credit: Luke Caulfield)

Room in Otts Yard, North london with white walls and large frameless windows

vPPR Architects similarly won an award in the Housing category for Otts Yard in North London.

(Image credit: Helene Binet)

Saxon Court and Roseberry Mansions

Maccreanor Lavington won an award in the Housing category for Saxon Court and Roseberry Mansions.

(Image credit: David Grandorge)

One Pancras Square

David Chipperfield Architects won an award in the Commercial category for One Pancras Square.

(Image credit: Mattias Kunz)

Alex Monroe Studio, Snowsfields

DSDHA also won an award in the Commerical category for Alex Monroe Studio, Snowsfields.

(Image credit: Dennis Gilbert)

Interior of Golden Lane - brick walls with a metal bookcase and stairs

Amin Taha Architects similarly won an award in the Commerical category for Golden Lane.

(Image credit: Timothy Soar)

High street building with shops underneath

Julian Harrap Architects LLP won an award in the Commercial category for High Street 2012 - Historic Building Conservation Scheme.

(Image credit: Dennis Gilbert)

London cityscape including a bridge over the Thames

Also awarded in the Commercial category was Pascall + Watson & Jacobs' Blackfriars Station redevelopment.

(Image credit: Justin Piperger)

Interior of King's Cross Station

John McAslan + Partners won an award in the Commerical category for the King's Cross Station redevelopment.

(Image credit: Hufton Crow)

Steel frame building with full height windows

Jestico + Whiles also won an award in the Commercial category for the Thameslink Programme - Borough Viaduct Project. 

(Image credit: Adam Parker)

London cityscape with The Shard and a boat on the Thames

The Renzo Piano Building Workshop won an award in the Commerical category for The Shard

(Image credit: Michel Denance)

Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing building

Penoyre & Prasad won an award in the Education and Community category for the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing building. 

(Image credit: Anthony Coleman)

Pegasus Academy - a gold-tiled community building

Hayhurt and Co.'s Pegasus Academy won an award in the Education and Community category.

(Image credit: Kiliano Sullivan)

Students in uniform walking in external corridors of Drapers Academy

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios also won an award in the Education and Community category for Drapers Academy.

(Image credit: Timothy Soar)

4 storey brick and concrete building with floor to ceiling windows

Duggan Morris Architects won an award in the Education and Community category for Ortus.

(Image credit: Jack Hob)

School building behind a sports field with girls playing hockey

Walters & Cohen Architects won an award in the Education and Community category for The Arts Centre at The Lady Eleanor Holles School

(Image credit: Dennis Gilbert)

JW3 at night with all internal lights on

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands won an award in the Arts and Leisure category for JW3.

(Image credit: Hufton and Crow)

London Aquatics Centre swimming pool with wavy roof

Zaha Hadid Architects also won an award in the Arts and Leisure category for the London Aquatics Centre.

(Image credit: Hufton Crow)

Milton Court, The Heron a multi story apartment building

David Walker Architects won an award in the Arts and Leisure category for Milton Court, The Heron.

(Image credit: Timothy Soar)

Traditional red brick building with modern yellow extension attached

Hawkins/Brown won an award in the Arts and Leisure category for Oily Cart.

(Image credit: Tim Crocker)

3 story modern building with grey panels, stone cladding and large windows

Allies and Morrison won an award in the Arts and Leisure category for Rambert.

(Image credit: Nick Guttridge)

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).