Stephen Lawrence Prize 2026 winner news

Stephen Lawrence Prize 2026 Winner – Buttermarket

20 October 2026

Design: Jen Boddington of Architectural Thread

Location: Redruth, Cornwall, England

photo © Lottie Matthews

RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize 2026 recognises emerging architect who delivered Cornish social enterprise scheme, Buttermarket

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has awarded the Stephen Lawrence Prize 2026 to The Buttermarket, a transformed social enterprise scheme in Redruth, Cornwall, recognising the leading work of architect Jen Boddington of Architectural Thread.

The Stephen Lawrence Prize focuses on encouraging and nurturing new talent by exclusively recognising projects led by an early career project architects.

Jen’s leadership was central to the project, which transforms a neglected Grade II listed building and market courtyard in Redruth into a fully accessible, flexible destination for the local community.

photo : Claire Fear

The architects have achieved a flexible-use scheme that draws people back into the town centre with food entrepreneurs, artists, small businesses and community events now using the revitalised space.

Founded by Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE and the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, the annual Prize was established in 1998 in memory of Stephen Lawrence, a teenager and aspiring architect who was the victim of a fatal racist attack in 1993.

Matthew Goldschmied, Jury Chair, Managing Trustee at the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, said: “The Buttermarket is a compelling story of trust and interdependency evolved through architectural ingenuity. Trusting that their buildings contained the potential to elicit renewed civic-pride, Redruth Revival (CIC) needed an architect to inspire a connected community again within new shared spaces.

photos : Claire Fear

The pathway for transforming this cluster of five listed buildings and reconnecting them to the history of Redruth, was a story that needed to be written from scratch. Although new to the challenge, Jen Boddington embraced the responsibility with enthusiasm and courage, drawing on diligence, determination and creativity to deliver a remarkable result, and inspiring community revival that’s already spreading beyond its physical borders.”
Jen Boddington, Associate Architect, Architectural Thread

 “Grounded in in-depth research, community consultation and rigorous attention to detail, our work at the Buttermarket prioritised minimal intervention, material reuse and a celebration of the site’s layered social and architectural heritage.

It was a privilege to work alongside Redruth CIC, and to learn from the buildings, heritage and community. I am grateful for the recognition and the opportunity to share the skills and insights I’ve gained from the project to others through the Stephen Lawrence mentorship programme.”

photograph : Claire Fear

Jury Citation:

The transformation of the Buttermarket in Redruth is an exemplar of intelligent, community-led regeneration within a UNESCO World Heritage Site – in this case, the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape. Led by social enterprise Redruth Revival CIC (community interest company), the project demonstrates how sensitive stewardship, technical rigour, and long-term vision can reanimate a historic civic space.

Established in 1825 and later extended and partly rebuilt, the site consists of five historic buildings around a market courtyard. The buildings had fallen into disrepair, and only two were listed at the project’s outset, but the others were designated during the process, all at Grade II. The scheme navigated regulatory complexity with care, reinstating the old market square and working resourcefully and regeneratively with locally reclaimed materials. The result is tactile, robust, and quietly confident.

The materials deployed are innovative and intentional. A collaboration created a sparkling wall-hung tile type never used before, while the clients salvaged cast-iron columns and features from the locality to re-incorporate into this rejuvenated building. The jury was struck by the project’s emotional and design intelligence. This is architecture that understands trajectory – of time, of place, and of community. Rather than impose novelty, the architects have uncovered what was already latent: flexibility, adaptability, and collective ownership. Fully accessible and carefully planned for change, the various spaces accommodate pop-up food traders, markets, live music, workshops, and evening events, establishing a night-time economy where none previously existed.

A glitter ball shines brightly in the space, setting the tone for fun and community activity. There is a deliberate modesty here. The architecture does not intimidate; it invites participation. Over a year after it reopened, it feels embedded and resilient – with spaces and a programme of events that stand firmly on their own feet, and with a client eager to develop further facilities. The Buttermarket is not simply a refurbishment. It is a deeply considered act of continuity, demonstrating how heritage can be a platform for renewal and how architecture can work towards rebuilding a community as much as it rebuilds space and form.

Architects: Architectural Thread – https://www.a-thread.co.uk/

Stephen Lawrence Prize 2026 Winner News images/information received 201026

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