East Sussex scheme among six projects recognised at ceremony yesterday evening
Adam Richards Architects’ Mayfield School health and wellbeing centre has been named as RIBA’s South East Building of the Year 2026.
The single-storey building houses registered nurses, a counsellor and wellbeing team offering 24/7 care to pupils at the Catholic all-girls school in East Sussex.
The RIBA jury praised it as a “an exemplar project in how a small yet powerful building can serve its users and create an oasis of serenity in a complex world.”
The scheme was among six winners recognised at a ceremony yesterday evening which were chosen from a shortlist of 14 projects announced in February.
The Mayfield School project also picked up the evening’s Sustainability Award with other special award winners including Casa Bassa by Francesco Pierazzi Architects, which won Small Project of the Year and Saltdean Lido Main Building by rhp, which won Client of the Year.
Andre Ford of Templeton Rise was awarded Project Architect of the Year for the firm’s project Clay Rise, a multi-generational Arts and Crafts-style home in West Sussex.
PRP partner Craig Sheach, who chaired the RIBA South East jury, said the winning projects all demonstrated what is possible “when the power of community and collaboration are brought to bear on a site”.
”Whether through the synergy of the designer and client, a mobilised community, an institution engaging more widely, or a willingness to think beyond the immediate, all the award winning schemes have successfully leveraged collective effort to create something special,” Sheach said.
”They show innovation, curiosity and real craft in the pursuit of a unique expression, one that could only have come from this particular set of circumstances. The jury left each project delighted, a testament to the depth of quality in the South East region.”
RIBA President Chris Williamson added: ”Over six decades, the Awards have charted a cultural journey across the UK, reflecting how architecture has responded to changing needs in education, industry, work and home life. Today, as in 1966, we celebrate architecture that sets new standards for how we live and shape our communities - and reminds us just how important it is to keep raising the bar.”
RIBA South East Award winners will now be considered for a RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 9 July. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.
The 2026 RIBA South East Awards winning projects are:
The Richard Cairns Building, Brighton College by KRFT Architecture studio & Nicholas Hare Architects
A carefully crafted mixed-use performance and teaching building.
Clay Rise by Templeton Ford (Project Architect of the Year sponsored by Lumion – Andre Ford)
An exemplar multi-generational home.
Casa Bassa by Francesco Pierazzi Architects (Small Project of the Year)
The extension of an existing garage into an inventive family space.
High House by BakerBrown Studio
A sustainable hilltop home nestled in the South Downs National Park
Mayfield School Health & Wellbeing Centre by Adam Richards Architects (Sustainability Award, Building of the Year)
A sensitively crafted health and wellbeing centre for children.
Saltdean Lido Main Building by R H Partnership Architects (rhp) (Client of the Year, R H Partnership Architects)
The restoration of the Art Deco Saltdean Lido.
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