Lion Green Road wins Stirling Prize
The Croydon development combines 157 homes with shared gardens and public routes.
Thursday’s result was reported by [the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/oct/15/council-housing-miracle-lion-green-road-croydon-riba-stirling-prize-best-new-building). Designed by Mary Duggan Architects with RUFF Architects, the Coulsdon development brings affordable and private housing together across five buildings.
RIBA scheduled this year’s ceremony for 15 October at Old Billingsgate in London, marking the prize’s 30th anniversary. Established in 1996, the award recognises architectural achievement through criteria extending beyond appearance to accessibility, sustainability and how well buildings serve their occupants. Its shortlist brings housing into competition with cultural, commercial and educational projects. [RIBA’s prize guide](https://www.riba.org/explore/awards/uk-awards/stirling-prize/)
Lion Green Road’s design starts with its surroundings. The development occupies a sloping site in the London Borough of Croydon, with different patterns of suburban housing on either side. Instead of covering the plot with continuous buildings, the architects distributed the accommodation among five separate blocks, leaving connected outdoor spaces between them. RIBA identifies the retention of open land as a central feature. [RIBA’s project record](https://www.riba.org/explore/awards/uk-awards/regional-awards/2026/london-awards-2026/lion-green-road/)
The buildings range from four to seven storeys, responding to changes in ground level and views towards a neighbouring historic railway monument. Flats are arranged around central cores, with every home facing in more than one direction. Balconies are positioned to reduce direct overlooking between buildings. Those decisions allow the blocks to stand relatively close together while addressing privacy and daylight. [RIBA Journal’s assessment](https://www.ribaj.com/riba-awards/2026/london-south-east/mary-duggan-architects-ruff-architects-lion-green-road-housing)
The spaces outside are also part of the architectural programme. RIBA’s project record describes retained mature trees, woodland, gardens, allotments and play areas. Paths run between the buildings, while shared amenity space extends towards parkland to the north. The approach gives communal landscape a substantial role alongside individual homes and incorporates movement through the site into its layout. [RIBA’s project record](https://www.riba.org/explore/awards/uk-awards/regional-awards/2026/london-awards-2026/lion-green-road/)
The client was Brick by Brick. RIBA describes the accommodation as a mix of affordable and private housing, an important qualification when considering what the development provides. Architectural recognition does not, by itself, establish whether rents are affordable to particular households. Nor should the total number of dwellings be read as a count of homes available at social rents. [RIBA’s shortlist announcement](https://www.riba.org/news/stirling-prize-shortlist-2026/)
The other shortlisted projects illustrate the breadth of this year’s competition: a house at Fairmead near Epping Forest; BEAM, the reworked theatre in Hertford; Paddington Square in London; and projects at Pembroke and Clare colleges in Cambridge. RIBA’s shortlist placed new construction alongside adaptations of existing buildings, bringing different uses and approaches to development into the same architectural assessment. [RIBA’s shortlist announcement](https://www.riba.org/news/stirling-prize-shortlist-2026/)
For readers considering what such prizes measure, the distinction between design assessment and broader housing outcomes matters. RIBA includes functionality and client satisfaction among its judging criteria, as well as originality and environmental considerations. Those criteria help explain the attention given to layouts, shared spaces and the relationship between buildings and their setting; they do not constitute an independent evaluation of housing policy. [RIBA’s judging criteria](https://www.riba.org/explore/awards/uk-awards/stirling-prize/)
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The development contains 157 homes across five buildings.
- It combines affordable and private housing.
- Its design includes shared outdoor spaces and public routes.
Left
Arguments A left-wing perspective would emphasise access to good architecture and shared green space for people on different incomes, while asking how much housing is genuinely affordable and secure.
Values Equality, public benefit and housing as a social need.
Consequences Design quality could improve everyday living, but limited affordability could restrict who benefits.
Centre
Arguments An institutional perspective would assess design, affordability, delivery and long-term maintenance together, seeking evidence before treating one project as a model for wider adoption.
Values Practical delivery, accountable institutions and measurable outcomes.
Consequences Successful features could inform future schemes, provided their costs and management requirements are understood.
Right
Arguments A market-oriented perspective would welcome inventive ways to accommodate more homes, while testing development viability, taxpayer exposure and whether planning rules permit similar projects.
Values Housing supply, financial discipline, property rights and choice.
Consequences Replicable designs could expand supply, but expensive requirements or poorly controlled public investment could impede delivery.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Priya Shah — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The architectural details are supported by the awarding body and its journal. The latest outcome has a clearly identified independent source, with the absence of an updated organiser announcement disclosed.
- confirmed Stirling Prize victory. — 15 October report. source
- confirmed The ceremony was scheduled for 15 October 2026 at Old Billingsgate. — RIBA explicitly gives the date and venue, placing the development within the required news window. source
- confirmed The prize began in 1996 and marks its 30th anniversary in 2026. — Confirmed by RIBA’s prize history. source
- confirmed Lion Green Road contains 157 homes in five buildings in Coulsdon, Croydon. — The official project record confirms the number, arrangement and location. source
- confirmed Mary Duggan Architects designed the scheme, RUFF Architects delivered it, and Brick by Brick was the client. — These roles are explicitly credited by RIBA. source
- confirmed The buildings have four to seven storeys, dual-aspect homes and balconies positioned to limit overlooking. — The journal’s architectural assessment describes these features and the neighbouring railway monument. source
- confirmed The landscape includes retained trees, woodland, gardens, allotments, play spaces and connections towards parkland. — Supported by the official project description and captions. source
- confirmed The development includes affordable and private housing. — RIBA’s shortlist announcement confirms mixed tenure; the article does not classify all homes as social housing. source
- confirmed Fairmead, BEAM, Paddington Square and projects at Pembroke and Clare colleges were the other finalists. — All five appear in the official shortlist. source
- confirmed Judging includes accessibility, sustainability, functionality, originality and client satisfaction. — These are published RIBA criteria, not claims of independently measured outcomes. source
Editor's note
RIBA supports the project details and ceremony date. Its retrieved pages still described the shortlist, so the outcome is attributed to the contemporary independent report. Earlier architectural assessments are used only as background; no claims about current rents, resident satisfaction or financial performance have been inferred.Sources
- Lion Green Road: Stirling Prize report — The Guardian
- Lion Green Road — Royal Institute of British Architects
- Lion Green Road, by Mary Duggan Architects with RUFF Architects — RIBA Journal
- The UK's best new buildings – 2026 Stirling Prize shortlist revealed — Royal Institute of British Architects
- RIBA Stirling Prize — Royal Institute of British Architects
More on this in other media
- ITV News — „architecture stirling prize”
- BBC News — „architecture stirling prize”
- The Guardian — „architecture stirling prize”