Old Shed New House wins 2018 Stephen Lawrence Prize; Argent named RIBA Client of the Year

In addition to the anticipated 2018 Stirling Prize winning announcement, RIBA revealed that “Old Shed New House” by Tonkin Liu had won the 2018 Stephen Lawrence Prize. UK property developer Argent LLP was honored with the Client of the Year Award.

Established by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation in 1998 in memory of aspiring young architect Stephen Lawrence, the yearly prize recognizes the best UK-based projects designed by emerging talent and were built with a construction budget of less than £1 million. 

The Client of the Year Award distinguishes notable clients and their role in the creation of fine architecture and the positive impact that they can help create for their local communities.

Marco Goldschmied and the Stephen Lawrence Prize judges also awarded a £1,000 Special Mention prize to the Bethnal Green Memorial, which was built in tribute to the little-known World War II tragedy. “Our congratulations to all those involved in the 12-year effort to bring this forgotten London memory to light for future generations,” Goldschmied said.

Read more about the winners below.

2018 Stephen Lawrence Prize winner: “Old Shed New House” by Tonkin Liu 

As one of the seven shortlisted projects, Old Shed New House is a private residence located in a wild garden, on the edge of a small village in North Yorkshire. The clients spent many years looking for a quiet site to build their retirement home.

“Discovering the site with their son Greg (now an associate at Tonkin Liu) and Mike Tonkin, they sought to pull the landscape into the building’s form. A long double height gallery maintains the tree-lined approach and a tall library, bounded by mirror-backed shelving evokes the copse of silver birch found of the site.”

“Walking into the library through a sliding door from the living room brought gasps from the Awards Jury. It is the heart of the home and a showpiece for a lifetime’s collection of books. Clever use of light and mirrors gave the impression of an art piece itself. Otherwise it Is a modest 3-bedroom house, build cost effectively, but with exquisite detailing throughout inside and out. The house follows a passivhaus strategy of high insulation, high air tightness, complemented by mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. As the architects say ‘The house is a journey of interconnected spaces that alternate between the grand and the intimate….. it is part country cottage, part classical villa’.”

2018 RIBA Client of the Year: Argent LLP
Nominations by Allies Morrison, Wilkinson Eyre, and Stanton Williams

“Since 1981, Argent has delivered some of the country’s most impressive mixed-use developments including residential, educational and cultural projects. They have been key to the regeneration of many UK cities, in particular Brindley Place in Birmingham and St Peter’s Square and the Northern Quarter in Manchester.”

“Argent was selected as RIBA Client of the Year for their recent award-winning projects, most notably the regeneration work in London’s King’s Cross including R7 by Duggan Morris Architects, Gasholders by Wilkinson Eyre, Gasholder Park by Bell Philips Architects and Victoria Hall King’s Cross by Stanton Williams.”

“Argent are one of the most respected developers in the UK. Committed to delivering long-term change, they have transformed King’s Cross and regenerated cities across the country. As a client, they work closely and collaboratively with their architects, local stakeholders and communities. The results are an impressive portfolio of thriving, high-quality developments that illustrate their commitment to significant investment in building vibrant, inclusive pieces of city,” commented architect Julia Barfield, Chair of the RIBA Awards Group.