RIBA: The Latest Architecture and News

Videos

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) released a short educational film meant to teach young students aged 13 to 16 about the relationship between climate change and the built environment, exploring notions of sustainable design. The film introduces concepts such as embodied carbon, brownfield, green infrastructure, sustainable mobility and explains ideas such as adaptive reuse, retrofit, and the use of local materials. The scope of this learning resource is to empower young people to think creatively about how to address the climate crisis through design, helping raise a generation well versed in sustainability principles.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winners of the 2021 President's Medal and Awards for Research, highlighting the best research concerning architecture and the built environment. The President's Medal was awarded to John Lin and Sony Devabhaktuni from the University of Hong Kong for their research project As Found Houses, which explores vernacular practices in rural China. Two more awards were granted to the development of an ethics guide for architectural practitioners and a study of thin-tile vaulting in Cuba.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has named Friendship Hospital in Bangladesh, designed by Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA as the winner of the 2021 RIBA International Prize, the biennial award highlighting worldwide projects that "demonstrate design excellence and social impact". The remote community hospital set within a riverine landscape translates the site's conditions prone to flooding into the central theme of the design, crafting a serene environment around the water element. The jury commended the project's thoughtful and innovative design within a modest budget, its use of local craftsmanship, and its climate-resilient response.

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Videos

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina are joined by Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, RIBA and Founding Partner of Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects to discuss his working as an architect for the Peace Corps in Morocco, his architecture office in Los Angeles, Julius Shulman, his work, current challenges in the profession, and more.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced that Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi will be the recipient of the 2022 Royal Gold Medal. The distinction, approved by Her Majesty The Queen and awarded each year since 1848, is given to architects or practices in recognition of a lifetime’s work and the impact on the evolution of the field and the built environment. With a career spanning over six decades, Balkrishna Doshi has had a paramount influence in shaping the architecture of India through a pioneering interplay of modernism and vernacular that translated into projects that celebrate local culture, context and craft.

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The RIBA House of the Year Award, which highlights the best new architect-designed house in the UK, was given this year to House on the Hill, designed by Alison Brooks Architects. Located in Gloucestershire, the house represents a contemporary extension to an 18th-century farmhouse that functions both as a home and repository of art. Over ten years in the making, the project creates a rich spatial experience while establishing a strong connection between the dwelling and the landscape. The jury commended the house for the “amalgam of architecture, landscape, inhabitation and art” that aptly manages to create a light and calm atmosphere.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has revealed the 2021 President’s Medals, recognizing the world’s best architecture student projects and dissertations.  The award, now at its 185^th edition, represents a record of academic results, providing a comprehensive image of contemporary architectural preoccupations. This year’s edition saw the greatest number of entries in the history of the award, with 338 entries nominated by 102 schools of architecture from 31 countries.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has added two new projects to its shortlist for the 2021 International Prize, a prestigious biennial award that celebrates the world’s best new projects that “champion buildings that change the world and positively impact the community around them". The jury has previously selected two buildings, and will complete the full list of 16 projects from 11 countries in the upcoming weeks. The winning project will be announced on Thursday 2nd December.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the first two shortlisted projects for the 2021 House of the Year, an annual award that honors the best new architect-designed house or extension in the United Kingdom. The following two projects will be announced on November 24th, and the complete shortlist will be announced on December 8th, 2021, on UK's Channel 4.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced its shortlist for the 2021 International Prize, a prestigious biennial award that celebrates the world’s best new projects that “champion buildings that change the world and positively impact the community around them". The jury has selected three projects from a list of 16 projects in 11 countries, and will announce the winner on Thursday 2nd December.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced its longlist of best new homes in the United Kingdom for the year 2021. The jury, which includes Architect and Chair Amin Taha, Co-founder of Ash Sakula Architects Cany Ash, and RIBA House of the Year 2019 winner Kieran McGonigle, have selected 20 newly-built houses or extensions that feature imaginative and innovative residential typologies that cater to the environment and their users.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awarded the 2021 Stephen Lawrence Prize to Tonkin Liu’s Water Tower, an adaptive reuse project which converts a disused industrial structure in the countryside into a residential space. The design has a strong attitude towards material recycling, retaining much of the original structure while creating adaptable interiors. The utilitarian aesthetic blends with a creative re-engineering of the project, showcasing an architectural approach in tune with contemporary sustainability values.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced Kingston University London Town House designed by Grafton Architects as the 2021 RIBA Stirling Prize winner. The distinction recognizes the projects’ progressive approach to the educational program, crafting a democratic, open space that fosters appropriation and social cohesion. The design resulting from a 2013 RIBA Competition is the Pritzker laureates Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara’s first project in the UK.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Pritzker Laureate Lord Norman Foster will chair the 2021 Stirling Prize jury. The jury will also include Simon Allford, RIBA President, architect Annalie Riches, 2019 RIBA Stirling Prize winner, and artist Dame Phyllida Barlow, advised by architect and sustainability expert Mina Hasman.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has revealed the six shortlisted buildings contending for this year's RIBA Stirling Prize. Celebrating its 25th year, the award is given to the United Kingdom's best new building. The selected buildings demonstrate "the innovation and ambition that lies at the heart of exceptional architecture", varying from a city mosque in Cambridge to a remote bridge in Cornwall and a vibrant gathering space in Kingston.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced the 54 winners of the 2021 RIBA National Awards, highlighting the UK's best new architecture. Ranging from single homes and housing schemes to educational facilities, cultural buildings, sports venues and medical centres, this year's projects illustrate a growing preoccupation with restoration and adaptive reuse, as well as a significant investment in education and culture. Inaugurated in 1966, the awards provide insight into UK's architectural environment and the economic trends shaping the AEC industry.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Jencks Foundation announced renowned Indian architect Anupama Kundoo as the winner of this year's RIBA Charles Jencks Award. The accolade given in recognition of significant contributions to the theory and practice of architecture acknowledges Kundoo's holistic practice that marries theoretical investigations, material research and sustainable building methods.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced the 13 regional winning projects of the 2021 South Awards. The projects ranged from complex civic buildings to refined residential extensions and context-integrated interventions, with an emphasis on landscaping and craftsmanship. The winning architects will now be considered for a highly-coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced later this year.

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