2025 RIBA East Midlands Awards winners, Shortlist buildings, Best UK architecture designs

2025 RIBA East Midlands Awards Winners

16 May 2025

The transformation of a former Victorian school building into a cultural hub, and a new “flexible” school building that offers an innovative model for future schools are the two winners of the RIBA East Midlands Awards 2025.

Caption: Primary © Primary (top), St Marys Catholic Voluntary Academy © Matthew Ling (bottom)

Presented since 1966, the RIBA Awards set the standard for great architecture across the country.

Royal Institute of British Architects – British Prize Shortlist: Buildings + Architects.

RIBA East Midlands Awards 2025 Winners

The Awards were announced at a ceremony this evening (14 May), at which Primary, a new cultural hub, was named as winner of the RIBA East Midlands Building of the Year Award 2025 (sponsored by EH Smith). The jury praised how the space “fosters collaboration, creativity and community, reaching beyond its immediate neighbourhood to inspire and connect people from all walks of life”. They noted that although “modest in scale and budget, every intervention has been thoughtfully designed and detailed with care, precision and a deep sensitivity to the building’s character and function.”

The RIBA East Midlands Awards 2025 winning projects are:

St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy by Hawkins\Brown (Project Architect of the Year, Sustainability Award sponsored by Autodesk)
– A highly sustainable, “flexible” school building, offering an innovative model for future schools.

Primary by Pricegore (Building of the Year sponsored by EH Smith), Small Project of the Year, Client of the Year sponsored by Equitone)
– Transformation of a characterful former Victorian school building in Nottingham into an inspiring cultural hub.

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The 2 projects were selected by the expert jury, who visited all shortlisted projects.

St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, Derby, by Hawkins\Brown

$St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, Derby, by Hawkins\Brown$

$St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, Derby, by Hawkins\Brown$
photos : Matthew Ling

Jury citation:

St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy emerges as a thoughtful response to both the practical needs of a modern primary school and the sustainable principles driving its development. Following the destruction of the previous school building by fire, the new design embraces the Department for Education’s GenZero principles, emphasising biophilia and access to nature as core elements of the learning environment. The architects’ design concept is deeply rooted in the idea of interweaving buildings with nature. The school’s layout is based on a village plan, with five classroom blocks arranged around green spaces and gardens. At the centre is a ‘town square’ that serves as a welcoming arrival point.

This outdoor space, covered by a high canopy, is surrounded by essential functions such as administration, a library, a hall and a space for faith activities. From the square, a covered walkway, referred to as ‘the street’, leads to the individual classroom blocks, each opening onto smaller garden areas or courtyards. Beyond these, the school grounds transition into a more informal landscape with fields, playgrounds and parkland that encourages outdoor engagement.

This thoughtful planning supports not only the academic but also the social and spiritual development of the children. As part of a pilot scheme with a standardised approach to new school buildings, the design pioneers long-term flexibility and adaptability. The classroom spaces are designed to be easily reconfigured to accommodate changing educational needs. The majority of the furniture is on wheels, allowing for the flexible use of space and a more fluid learning environment. The project’s social impact is significant.

The ‘town square’ offers ample space for parents and carers to gather during drop-off and pick-up times, fostering a sense of community and connection. The outdoor spaces encourage children to engage in self-directed play, with covered walkways ensuring outdoor play even during inclement weather. Inside, the classrooms are filled with natural light and have acoustic ceilings, creating calm environments conducive to learning. The use of natural cross-ventilation contributes to a comfortable, healthy atmosphere.

The exposed services and concrete floors are low maintenance as well as offering functional benefits. The school’s sustainability efforts are exemplary. The design minimises environmental impact through the use of timber construction, modular systems and low embodied carbon. A high-level light shelf in the classrooms helps to reduce cold draughts, enabling natural ventilation year-round. Rooftop photovoltaic panels supply energy, reducing the building’s reliance on external resources.

The landscaping is equally sustainable, with ground-level sustainable drainage systems (SuDs), new tree planting, wildflower meadows and green roofs designed to promote biodiversity and support local ecosystems. St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy represents an outstanding example of how thoughtful architecture can address the needs of education, community and sustainability. Through its innovative design and dedication to environmental and social goals, it offers a model for future school buildings that are both flexible and sustainable.

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Primary, Radford, Nottingham by Pricegore:

photo : Emma Ford

photo : Matthew Blunderfield

photo courtesy of architects office

photo : Tom Morley

Artist-led charity Primary has transformed a characterful former Victorian school building in the Radford neighbourhood of Nottingham into an inspiring cultural hub. The Grade II listed building is now the home of 50 diverse artists, with former classrooms refitted into bright and functional studios and gallery spaces fostering an environment that encourages artistic exploration and collaboration.

A varied and engaging programme of free exhibitions and public events is at the heart of Primary’s mission. The organisation offers an array of workshops, including hands-on making sessions, community cooking sessions and after-school toy libraries, all designed to bring people together and nurture creativity. The site is also home to a thoughtfully curated bookshop and an award-winning bakery, both of which add to the welcoming and communal atmosphere of the development. The heart of the development is the former playground.

Previously separated into two tarmacked play spaces at different levels, it has been connected with level access throughout. This multifunctional space features a shed with recycled materials for artists to use, an outdoor kitchen and a productive garden, all contributing to a sense of shared purpose and sustainability. It serves as a meeting point for artists and visitors alike, facilitating new connections and creative exchanges in an open and inviting setting. Architects Pricegore have created a series of skilful and sensitive interventions to remodel the previously enclosed environment into a welcoming and inclusive public building.

Works include a bold and inviting new entrance gate, a playful canopy over a new main door and a communal kitchen, where an oversized internal window invites participation and camaraderie. The sloping site presented accessibility challenges which have been tactfully overcome by an integrated platform lift, allowing for a level route through the lower floors of the building. If modest in scale and budget, every intervention has been thoughtfully designed and detailed with care, precision and a deep sensitivity to the building’s character and function.

The first phase of the works is complete, allowing Primary to thrive as a dynamic artistic hub. This project’s success is twofold. The careful repurposing of the historic building ensures its long-term preservation. Meanwhile, ongoing knowledge exchange, participation and engagement between artists and audiences strengthen Primary as a unique cultural asset. This refreshing space fosters collaboration, creativity and community, reaching beyond its immediate neighbourhood to inspire and connect people from all walks of life.

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RIBA East Midlands Jury Chair, Anne Schroell, Associate at Niall McLaughlin Architects, said:
“This year’s award-winning projects in the East Midlands show how architecture can enrich lives. From transforming a Victorian school into a cultural hub to designing a sustainable modern primary school, the winning projects foster creativity, connection, and community. They act as catalysts for positive change, inspiring people across generations and backgrounds. These buildings are a powerful reminder that architecture shapes not only our built environment, but also our shared experiences and the future we create together.”

Speaking on all the UK Award winners, RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki, said:
“This year’s winners exemplify architecture’s power to transform—turning spaces into places of connection, creativity, and care. Spanning the length of the UK and diverse in form and function, our 2025 winners show a deep sensitivity to place and a strong coherence of thought between all teams involved. Individually these projects inspire and uplift, but collectively, they remind us that architects do far more than design buildings, they shape the way we live, work and connect.”

RIBA East Midlands Award winners will now be considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 10 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.

RIBA East Midlands Awards 2025 shortlist images / information from the Royal Institute of British Architects, UK.

Previously on e-architect:

13 February 2024

RIBA East Midlands Awards in 2024

Six projects shortlisted for RIBA East Midlands Awards 2024

2024 RIBA East Midlands Award Winners

Dryden Enterprise Centre, Nottingham, by Evans Vettori:

photos © Martine Hamilton Knight

Contemporary County House, Northampton, Northamptonshire, by Greenaway Architecture:

photo © Ben McConnel

Kingsfield Ponds, Lincolnshire, by Jonathan Hendry Architects:

photo © Fourwalls Group

1 The Island Quarter, Nottingham, by Jestico + Whiles:

photo © Christopher Terry

2050 Homes Nottingham Phases 1-2, Nottingham, by Studio Partington:

photo © Tim Crocker

Alfreton Park Community Special School, Alfreton, Derbyshire, by Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture:

photos © Kilian O’Sullivan

The Island Quarter in Nottingham Southside

RIBA East Midlands Awards Shortlisted buildings and architects in 2017

Artemis Barn, Castleton, Derbyshire
Architect: Chiles Evans + Care Architects Ltd

photo © Jen Langfield

Beach Hut – Sandilands, Sutton on Sea, Lincolnshire
Architect: Jonathan Hendry Architects Ltd

photo © Anete Lusina

Blackwood, Humberston, Lincolnshire
Architect: ID Architecture

photo © Andy Haslam

George Green Library, University of Nottingham
Architect: Hopkins Architects

photo © Martine Hamilton Knight
Michael Hopkins of Hopkins Architects

Leicester Cathedral’s Richard III Project ‘With Dignity and Honour’
Architect: van Heyningen and Haward Architects

photo © Carlo Draisci
Van Heyningen + Hayward

Meadow View Specialist Dementia Residential Care Centre, Darley Dale, Derbyshire
Architect: Glancy Nicholls Architects

photo © Phillip Riley

The GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry, Nottingham
Architect: Fairhursts Design Group

photo © Martine Hamilton Knight

RIBA East Midlands Awards

2022 RIBA East Midlands Award Winners

RIBA East Midlands Awards 2017

Location: East Midlnds, central England, UK

RIBA Awards Past Winners

RIBA Awards Winning Buildings + Architects
RIBA Awards 2016

English Architecture Designs – chronological list

RIBA Southwest Awards 2016

RIBA Northeast Awards 2016

Stirling Prize

RIBA Royal Gold Medal

East Midlands Architecture

Contemporary Nottinghamshire Building Designs – recent architectural selection from e-architect below:

Design Competition for White Hart Street, Mansfield

photo © Chris Holloway, The Bigger Picture media
White Hart Street Design Competition

The Lyth Building, Southwell – Nottingham Trent University
Design: Evans Vettori Architects

photo © Martine Hamilton Knight
The Lyth Building, Southwell, Nottingham