RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 shortlist announced

An East Anglian research facility is among the six projects shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025.

AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre by Herzog and de Meuron/BDP radically redefines the research facility, blending cutting-edge laboratories with welcoming public spaces.

The surprisingly low-rise, sawtooth-roofed building adopts a curved triangular plan, forming an inviting interface for Cambridge’s Biomedical Cluster.

At its heart, a publicly accessible courtyard echoes the city’s iconic college quadrangles, one of the building’s many tributes to Cambridge’s heritage.

Inside, 16 glass-lined laboratories are connected by clever interconnecting corridors that balance stringent security with transparency, putting science on display.

Flexible lab stations and open-plan layouts foster innovation in a bold new prototype for research facilities.

The other five projects in the running for the UK’s highest accolade in architecture are:

*Appleby Blue Almshouse by Witherford Watson Mann Architects

Replacing an abandoned care home, Appleby Blue radically reimagines the traditional almshouse to foster community and reduce isolation among residents. The layout flips a centuries-old typology, placing communal spaces at its heart to encourage interaction, while bay windows at street level connect residents to the outside world. The result is a new standard for inclusive social housing in later life.

*Elizabeth Tower by Purcell

Housing the symbolic Big Ben bell – the timepiece of the nation, the most comprehensive restoration of Elizabeth Tower in 160 years is a conservation masterpiece. Traditional materials and bespoke craftspeople were sourced from across the UK to honour the Tower’s original design, rectifying previous restoration missteps and repairing newly uncovered damage from the second world war. Subtle improvements to accessibility, including a new visitor lift, have also opened up the monument to a broader audience for the first time.

*Hastings House by Hugh Strange Architects

Instead of demolishing an ageing hillside home, Hastings House reuses and celebrates the existing structure and materials to create a house of contrasts. A restrained, updated Victorian front gives way to a modern, timber-framed rear, while a rough concrete courtyard celebrates its industrial character. A series of stitched extensions step up the hillside, blending inside and outside to cleverly create light-filled, open spaces.

*London College of Fashion by Allies and Morrison

Located in the cultural heart of the Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford, the new home for the London College of Fashion brings together its 6,000 staff and students for the first time. A constrained site prompted a vertical campus rising to 17 storeys, with dramatic staircases unfurling through a shared “heart space” to encourage collaboration.

*Niwa House by Takero Shimazaki Architects

Meaning garden home in Japanese, Niwa House is a pavilion-like oasis built on a previously derelict South London plot. Sprawling across and downwards to navigate planning constraints, this horizontal home is a masterclass in craftsmanship and restraint. Subtle interventions, such as a flowing open-plan layout and integrated accessibility features, create a seamless experience for its wheelchair-user resident while futureproofing it for later life, demonstrating how inclusive design can be functional yet elegant.

RIBA president, Chris Williamson, said: “These projects demonstrate architecture’s unique ability to address some of the most urgent challenges of our time, responding with creativity, adaptability and care.

“From a monumental civic building that champions investment in arts and culture, to the sensitive restoration of one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks, and a cutting-edge medical research facility, each offers a blueprint for how architecture can enrich society.

“At a time when quality housing is urgently needed across the country, the residential projects stand out for their inventive, human-centred design, from social housing that combats isolation in later life, to a bold home extension that celebrates reuse, and an accessible home that proves that beauty and accessibility can coexist.

“Together, these projects offer a hopeful vision for the future, one where architecture strengthens communities and helps shape a more sustainable and inclusive built environment.”

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

Pic credit: Max Heptonstall