RIBA unveils Stirling Prize 2025 shortlist
The revamp of London's Elizabeth Tower features alongside two private houses and a "factory for fashion" on this year's RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist.
A total of six projects are vying for the prize, which is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and regarded as the highest in UK architecture.
As in 2024, all six projects are in England, with four located in London. These include the Elizabeth Tower restoration by Purcell and the vertical campus for London College of Fashion by Allies and Morrison.
The other two are Appleby Blue Almshouse, by 2013's Stirling Prize winner Witherford Watson Mann, and the pavilion-like Niwa House by Takero Shimazaki.
Outside of London, the only two projects to make the shortlist are the extension of a Victorian home in Hastings by Hugh Strange Architects and, in Cambridge, The Discovery Centre by 2003's Stirling Prize winner Herzog and de Meuron alongside BDP.
The new president of RIBA, Chris Williamson, said the shortlisted projects were chosen as they "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," said Williamson.
"At a time when quality housing is urgently needed across the country, the residential projects stand out for their inventive, human-centred design," he continued.
"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.”
First awarded in 1996, the RIBA Stirling Prize is given annually to "the architect of the building thought to be the most significant of the year for the evolution of architecture".
The shortlist is selected from the winners of the RIBA National Awards, which were announced this year on 10 July.
This year's jury is being chaired by Ingrid Schroder, the director of the Architectural Association, alongside RIBA president Williamson and Grimshaw director Neill McClements.
Sustainability expert Anna Lisa McSweeny of not-for-profit organisation Built by Nature is also on the panel, alongside Autodesk's technical director Simon Gillis and creative director Victoria Tang-Owen, who has been selected as the lay assessor.
The most recognisable building on this year's shortlist is indisputably London's Elizabeth Tower – the home of the Big Ben bell at the Palace of Westminster – which has been restored by Purcell.
Purcell's overhaul, described by the jury as "a veritable masterclass in conservation and craftsmanship", was the most extensive renovation of the iconic structure in its 160-year history.
"Every element of the building fabric and the clock's workings has been painstakingly examined, researched and assessed, to inform the complex programme of cleaning, repair, redecoration and renewal," wrote the jury.
It is the second time that Purcell has been up for the accolade, having been shortlisted last year for its revamp of the National Portrait Gallery, designed with Jamie Fobert Architects.
On the other end of the scale is the restoration and extension of a private house in Hastings, carried out by Hugh Strange Architects.
Simply named Hastings House, the project has reinvigorated the 1980s dwelling with a series of stepped metal and timber forms that reinstate its connection to a terraced concrete garden.
The jury said "it is both charming and intriguing, and clearly very liveable".
The other private house on the list is Niwa House in London, designed by Takero Shimazaki Architects, which RIBA described as a "blueprint for accessible housing"
It takes the form of a low-lying pavilion with a hybrid timber and stone structure and an open-plan layout tailored to the needs of its owner, who is a wheelchair user.
Another residential project shortlisted for the prize is Appleby Blue Almshouse by Witherford Watson Mann Architects – a social housing development for over-65s in London.
Witherford Watson Mann is the studio behind the 2013 Stirling Prize-winning project Astley Castle, which was also shortlisted in 2019 for Nevill Holt Opera.
On the other side of the River Thames, a vertical university campus by Allies and Morrison has been shortlisted.
The project, described by the studio as a "21st-century factory for fashion", features classrooms and workshops, as well as offices, a lecture theatre and social spaces for London College of Fashion.
Though Allies and Morrison has never won the Stirling Prize, this is the fourth time it has been shortlisted, following the Royal Festival Hall in 2008, New Court in 2012 and King's Cross Masterplan in 2024.
The final project on the list is The Discovery Centre (DISC) – the Cambridge research facility of Covid-19 vaccine creator AstraZeneca, which was designed by Herzog and de Meuron and BDP.
"Designing a medical research facility on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus for AstraZeneca would be a tough technical challenge for any architectural practice," said the jury.
"One would forgive the design team if they concentrated on the science alone, yet there is more than a nod to placemaking here."
Herzog and De Meuron is another studio to have previously won the Stirling Prize, awarded in 2003 for the Laban Dance Centre. It was also shortlisted in 2016 for Blavatnik School of Government.
This year's RIBA Stirling Prize winner will be revealed at London's Roundhouse on 16 October 2025.
Last year, the prize was given to The Elizabeth Line by Grimshaw. Previous winners include The New Library at Magdalene College by Níall McLaughlin Architects and Liverpool Everyman Theatre by Haworth Tompkins.
Earlier this year, it was confirmed that the winner of the first-ever Stirling Prize – the University of Salford's Centenary Building by Hodder+Partners – is set to be demolished.
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