Níall McLaughlin awarded 2026 RIBA Royal Gold Medal

The Royal Institute of British Architects has awarded the 2026 Royal Gold Medal for architecture to Níall McLaughlin. Described by the RIBA as one of the world’s highest honors in the architecture field, the award was given to the Irish architect, educator, and writer for what RIBA called his “resounding impact spanning architectural practice, thinking, writing and education.”

The jury described McLaughlin as a “pivotal figure in contemporary architecture,” citing the consistency and depth of his work across a wide range of scales and building types. His projects are noted for their sensitivity to place, materiality, light, and craft, as well as a sustained focus on the quality of space and user experience. The jury in particular highlighted McLaughlin’s engagement with environmental and cultural considerations while challenging conventional approaches to architecture and regeneration.

Key projects referenced by RIBA include the Bandstand at Bexhill (2001), the Alzheimer’s Respite Centre in Dublin (2011), the Bishop Edward King Chapel in Oxford (2013), and The New Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge (2021), which received the Stirling Prize in 2022. Alongside practice, McLaughlin has taught for over 25 years at the Bartlett School of Architecture, with visiting professorships at the University of California Los Angeles and Yale University. 

“I am delighted and honored to receive the 2026 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “My team and I view architecture as a continuity of practice across generations. We are grateful to our teachers, who passed on the spirit, and our students, who continually question and transform it. As a small studio, we have grown and learned together. Thank you to all those who have collaborated with us and supported our ideals through commissioning, design, and construction.”

“Through practice, we have learned that architecture is not the production of singular objects but an ongoing performance of development, alteration, and reinvention through lived experience,” McLaughlin added. “At a time of accelerating technological change in design and construction, we continue to insist on the human rituals and material practices at the heart of our discipline. Building is an act, not an object. Architecture lies in its making and the way that it shapes learning, culture, and communal life. We accept this recognition with gratitude and with a renewed commitment to live up to its challenge.”