The winners of the RIBA East Awards 2026 have been announced

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has named 13 winners of the 2026 RIBA East Awards.

Among them were 21 new affordable almshouses at More’s Meadow, within the Cambridge Green Belt, a Passivhaus “forever home” in Hertfordshire and the transformation of Hertford’s 1970s theatre into BEAM, a new multi-functional arts venue.

This year’s cohort is particularly significant as the awards mark their 60th anniversary.

Since 1966, the RIBA Awards have recognised the best architecture across the UK, capturing the shifting expectations of what architecture can contribute to society.

An expert jury visited all the shortlisted projects, which also included an accessible and adaptable home set on the edge of Epping Forest and Rubicon, a new housing development in Cambridge with a mix of university accommodation and private homes.

RIBA East jury chair, Julian de Metz, director at dMFK Architects, said: “This year’s winners spanned a wide range of typologies, scales and locations, demonstrating clarity, complexity, delight, beauty and visibly satisfied clients.

“The jury encountered outstanding project architects and was struck by their mature, confident approaches to reuse, sustainability, conservation and retrofit, with heritage never seeming to be a constraint.

“In one-off housing especially, we celebrated the value of seemingly everyday architecture, executed with intelligence, responsibility and skill.”

RIBA president, Chris Williamson, said: “This is a landmark year for RIBA as we mark 60 years of our Awards and the impact of past winners on society.

“Over six decades, the Awards have charted a cultural journey across the UK, reflecting how architecture has responded to changing needs in education, industry, work and home life.

“Today, as in 1966, we celebrate architecture that sets new standards for how we live and shape our communities - and reminds us just how important it is to keep raising the bar.”

RIBA East Award winners will now be considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on July 9.

The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.

Photo by Richard Fraser Photography