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Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, a lockkeeper’s cottage and a floating church are among 46 recipients of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) London Awards this year. The annual prizegiving (though it didn’t happen last year) recognises exceptional architectural merit, and the 2021 list is an intriguing mix of buildings large and small.
Some of the big-ticket projects include the new home for the English National Ballet as part of London City Island, the massive Blackfriars Circus development and a project for the Royal Academy of Art to link some Grade I-listed buildings with some Grade II-listed buildings (no mean feat).
But there are also many smaller-scale buildings and projects that might not become physical London landmarks but could well inform how the architecture of our city might look in the future. For instance, there are several humanly scaled, non-glassy housing developments. McGrath Road in Newham is an intriguing mix of European courtyard and London terraced street, with traditional stock bricks as the building material. Or North Street in Barking, where a row of ‘cottages’ has been constructed on a narrow strip of land between two roads.
A couple of other projects are likely to grab whatever headlines there are in the world of architectural journalism. Holmes Road Studios in Camden is another courtyard development, only this time the accommodation is designed for London’s homeless, creating a private sanctuary, psychologically separated from the open streets. There’s also the interesting-looking Floating Church located on the Regent’s Canal, where constantly moving boaters often don’t have the opportunity to attend a service. It has an expanding bellows roof and a surprisingly light-filled and spacious interior.
As Open House London looms, why not check out a host of London buildings that are set to feature in it in years to come.
See the full list of 2021 RIBA London Award-winners here.
Have a look at this writer’s guide to Open House London.