South east London buildings winning RIBA awards

The awards have been given by RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects, as they name “outstanding works of the built environment” for 2024.

The institute has been celebrating architecture for over 180 years and running the awards for 50 years.

It claims that its awards and prizes are “regarded internationally as a mark of excellence”, recognising architecture, architects, research and students.

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “Successful projects reflect changes and innovations in architecture, but at their core display a commitment to designing and developing buildings and spaces for the improvement and enhancement of people’s lives.”

Abbey Wood Station

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “Abbey Wood Station provides a major interchange between national rail services and the terminus of one of the eastern branches of the Elizabeth Line, with capacity for 20,000 at peak hours.

“The station has been in planning since 2008.

“The project team at Fereday Pollard Architects, who have seen it through to completion, impressed the jury with their enthusiasm and knowledge of its operations.

“It stands out for its accessibility and legibility.

“Successfully addressing complex urban design issues, it creates a generous civic plaza and delivers a seamless experience for passengers beneath the great sweep of its timber roof.

67 Southwark Street

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “The slim residential tower on Southwark Street stands as a testament to its architects’ flair for innovative design and meticulous urban integration.

“The project seamlessly blends into its surroundings, offering nine triple-aspect apartments with panoramic views of London. It relates to and resolves a complex corner site, and its plot ratio – with the floor area 16 times that of the site – is remarkable and rarely seen in the capital.

“The building’s form, a nod to that of the traditional Italian campanile (bell tower), harmonises with the neighbourhood while standing out as a striking landmark south of the River Thames.”

All Saints

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “All Saints is a former orphanage, constructed in 1875, south of Waterloo.

“EPR Architects bought the building from the Imperial War Museum estate to provide a new studio for their practice.

“They have pared the spaces back to the original E-shaped plan, opened them up to meet the bustling studio’s needs, restored masonry and windows, and upgraded the building where possible to meet higher thermal performance than previous construction had allowed.

“The project’s sensitive, conservation-led approach to a non-designated heritage asset of a locally listed building, and the care in the bespoke detailing, make it stand out as worthy of an award.”

London South Bank University Hub

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “Located just north of Elephant and Castle, this is a long-established facility for London South Bank University (LSBU), where students are taught practical and professional skills on site.

“It is heavily used as a resource and as a place to study.

“The recycled 1970s concrete building has come alive in the hands of architects WilkinsonEyre, who have opened up an astonishing 20,500 square metres of teaching space.

“The original building, as it was featured in the Architects Journal in 1976, was clad in red brick and with stepped forms and patent glazing.

“This major retrofit acts like a new suit, re-dressing every face of the building, externally and within the atriums – no mean feat.

“Furthermore, retaining the existing structure saved 65% on embodied carbon – just under half the 2030 RIBA benchmark target.”

Love Walk II

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “The name comes from the fact this is the second house on the same street in Camberwell by the architects Knox Bhavan.

“The project has two aspects: the conservation of an unlisted building, and a creative addition at the rear, replacing a poorly built but substantial Victorian extension.

“It was praised by the jury as well-built, innovatively designed and interesting.

“In the restoration, all possibilities for thermal upgrade have been employed, including micro double glazing to windows, and improvements to floors and ceilings.

“A successful deep retrofit and contemporary extension in a conservation area, it has future-proofed the Victorian villa house with energy saving technology, and is sensitively considered to serve its owners’ needs into later life.”

Peckham House

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “The infill corner site was a hard-won purchase of land from the council for a house by the architects Tom Surman and Percy Weston.

“A self-build, they invested in and worked on the site, with occasional help from friends, to develop the plot into a small but generously spaced family home.

“Its dominant feature is brick. In both scale and materials, it makes a positive contribution to the street, with enthusiasm and playfulness writ large in its geometry and details.

“It also has a strong environmental conscience, with low-carbon materials used in ways that minimise or eliminate waste.”

Rotherhithe Primary School

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “The new Rotherhithe Primary School replaces a 1971 box-like building that was only ever intended as a temporary solution.

“The school motto of ‘hope and courage’ guided the head teacher Galiema Amien-Cloete and her design team to approach the brief creatively, and they did so to impressive effect.

“This project is a reminder of the responsibility and capacity for school architecture to care for and improve children’s health and wellbeing.

“The architects have created a school in a garden, with greenery on all sides where there are classrooms, creating a nurturing environment for children in Key Stages 1 and 2.

“From window heights and material choices to strategies that enable attentive but unintrusive supervision, the approach throughout is thoughtful and inclusive.”

Six Columns

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “Six Columns is a house for one of the founders of the 31/44 Architects practice along with his partner and their two children, designed to meet the family’s changing needs over many years.

“It is set in patches of gardens acquired from neighbours – joined together, they created a plot worthy of a family home that completes a row of semi-detached houses in the leafy neighbourhood.

“The jury were impressed by the design’s efficiency, as much as its inventive, sophisticated use of space and materials.

“A single air-source heat pump also provides all the house requires for heating and washing, with bills a fraction of typical running costs.”

Southwark House Renovation

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “This transformation of a 76 square metre former council house is discreet on the outside, leaving the surprise for the inside, which is a story of space, light, and materials.

“The project was designed for a single client and the result reflects this in a home of distinctive character and warmth.

“A tight budget called for creative solutions – the jury praised the way the architects displayed such aptitude in the home’s environmental and spatial transformation.

“This work, they felt, offered lessons for many similar houses of this often more affordable type across the country.”

St John’s Waterloo

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “Eric Parry Architects were chosen for the renewal of the Grade II listed St John’s Waterloo following their success at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Trafalgar Square.

“Fourteen years on, the beautifully restored early nineteenth-century Greek Revival church, complete with its historically significant post-war paintings by the renowned German-Jewish refugee artist Hans Feibusch, has now emerged.

“This project is testament to the care and perseverance of the vicar, the local community and the architects in reinstating the full potential of an underused church over more than a decade.

“Their work has decluttered it from its unsympathetic late additions, resulting in simple, elegant spaces that will serve its congregation for many years to come.”

The Africa Centre

A spokesperson for RIBA said: “The Africa Centre was established in 1964 to represent a new Africa in the UK.

“A place to exchange ideas and provide advocacy and support to people arriving from Africa, it was located at King Street in Covent Garden.

“In its 60th anniversary year the Africa Centre has moved to this dynamic new home in Southwark – a once relatively undistinguished 1960s office building that has been given new life inside and out by architects Freehaus.

“The thoughtfully designed exhibition, event and social spaces are complemented by an eye-catching use of the exterior as a billboard for African art and culture.”