14 winning schemes include a retrofitted telephone exchange, Passivhaus almshouses and a converted barn
An infill development for Emmanuel College, Cambridge by Stanton Williams has been named RIBA East Building of the Year 2025. The scheme includes new accommodation and communal facilities for students.
The Young’s Court Development was praised by the jury for how it “sits comfortably and effortlessly on site” and “subtly elevates the experience of student life”. The panel also described it as a “model for how to conserve and enhance a historic place for future generations”.
Among the 14 winning projects is The Entopia Building, also in Cambridge, designed by Architype with Feilden and Mawson and Eve Waldron Design. The project involved the reuse of a 1930s telephone exchange as a new home for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. It was also recognised with the Sustainability and Project Architect of the Year awards.
Jankes Barn by Lynch Architects was awarded both a regional award and the Conservation Award. The project involved the conversion of a disused barn in Essex into a contemporary rural home.
Dovehouse Court Almshouses by Mole Architects, a new Passivhaus development in Cambridge for residents over 55, also featured among the winners. The project delivered energy-efficient later-life living within a setting designed to promote social interaction.
RIBA Central Regional Director Matt Blakeley said: “Congratulations to all the Award winners in the East region. This year, the breadth of schemes recognised is a remarkable statement to the ambition and vision of the region.
“These projects exemplify not only admirable excellence in design and beauty, but a bold commitment to architecture’s vital role in our environmental goals and social impact.”
The other winning projects were:
- The Discovery Centre (DISC) by Herzog & de Meuron with BDP, a medical research facility for AstraZeneca in Cambridge
- Sunspot by HAT Projects, a coastal community hub in Essex with flexible units, a café and market hall
- Cast Corbel House by Grafted, an extension to a Norwich home
- Knights Park by Pollard Thomas Edwards and Alison Brooks Architects, a large-scale housing scheme in Eddington delivering 249 net-zero homes
- Harpenden House by Emil Eve Architects, the renovation and extension of a Victorian villa previously used as a nursery
- Housestead by Sanei Hopkins Architects, a coastal home in Suffolk
- North Sea East Wood by Hayhurst & Co, a reworking of a 1980s bungalow in Norfolk, also named Small Project of the Year
- Mill Hide by Poulson Architecture, a low-energy single-storey villa designed to meet future accessibility needs
- Clayworth by ArkleBoyce Architects, a contemporary family home
- Amento by James Gorst Architects, a single-storey rural dwelling
Regional award winners will now be considered for a RIBA National Award, which will be announced on 10 July.
The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.
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