AYA 2025 shortlists: Interior Architect of the Year

Earlier this year BD announced all the architects who made it on to the shortlists for our prestigious annual Architect of the Year Awards.

Now we are shining the spotlight on each category in turn and publishing a selection of the images that impressed the judges.

This year’s judges include: Yẹmí Aládérun, head of development, Meridian Water (Enfield Council); Amr Assaad, director, Buckley Gray Yeoman; Lee Bennet, partner, Sheppard Robson; Sarah Cary, chief development officer, White City at Imperial; Ben Derbyshire, chair, HTA Design LLP; Martyn Evans, creative director, U+I; Dicle Guntas, managing director, HGG London; Gavin Hale-Brown, director, Henley Halebrown; Tanvir Hasan, director emeritus, Donald Insall Associates; Lee Higson, board director, Eric Parry Architects; David Kohn, founder and director, David Kohn Architects; Oliver Lowrie, director and founder, Ackroyd Lowrie; Anna Mansfield, director, Publica; Jo McCafferty, director, Levitt Bernstein; Ian McKnight, director, Hall McKnight; John McRae, director, Orms; Andrew Mellor, partner, PRP; Sadie Morgan, director, dRMM; Setareh Neshati, director of regeneration and development – delivery and operations, Westminster City Council; David Partridge, co-founder, Senze; Manisha Patel, director, kpk Studios; Sarah Robinson, associate director, The King’s Foundation; Simon Saint, principal, Woods Bagot; Philippa Simpson, director for buildings and renewal, Barbican Centre; David Stansfield, senior partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios; Amin Taha, director, Groupwork; Magali Thomson, project lead for placemaking, Great Ormond Street Hospital; Ola Uduku, head of school, Liverpool School of Architecture; Tatiana von Preussen, co-founder, vPPR; Richard Wardle, director, Stanton Williams.

Today’s shortlist is for Interior Architect of the Year.

dMFK Architects

Drawing on its residential experience, the practice aims to craft workplaces that are ‘homely, amenity-rich, stylish, comfortable, informal and social’.

dMFK’s entry comprises four projects, including its own, a transformation of a ground floor showroom into a flexible workspace focusing on comfort, calmness and face-to-face interaction in London’s Fitzrovia. Other featured projects include a retrofit of a 1970s office building for Derwent London and 45 Whitfield Street, and MYO New Street Square, a flexible workspace for Landsec.

HLM Architects

A hotel and a library comprise the entry from HLM Architects, whose interior architecture team strives ‘to create spaces which are inspirational and memorable’.
At the University of Leeds, the Health Sciences Library is being refurbished to promote wellbeing and collaboration using biophilic design principles and sustainable materials.

At the Radisson Blu hotel in Sheffield, the interior finishes are influenced by both the city’s industrial heritage and its nearby moorland and reservoirs.

Robert Rhodes Architecture + Interiors

The practice describes itself as having a passion for working with old buildings. Its entry demonstrates its approach of honouring the original nature of the building rather than fighting it. Craven Gardens integrates Japanese and Scandinavian influences into a renovation of an Edwardian home in south London, which includes a new kitchen and dining room extension. Myddelton Square is a sensitive restoration of a Grade II listed townhouse in Clerkenwell.

tp bennett

Four London workplaces comprise the entry from tp bennett. For BP, the practice created an office over eight floors designed to promote collaboration and innovative thinking, and with an emphasis on inclusivity and consideration of neurodiversity.

Capital Group’s new headquarters at 1 Paddington Square is inspired by the history and movement of the Paddington Basin surroundings. Workplaces for law firm Reed Smith at 1 Blossom Yard and Deutsche Bank at 21 Moorfields complete the submission.