The RIBA reinvention award

The RIBA Reinvention Award was launched in November 2022 to recognise achievement in the creative reuse of existing buildings. It celebrates the creative transformation of an existing building and the project’s vital improvement to environmental, social, or economic sustainability. The award, championed by then RIBA President Simon Allford, was created to shine a light on the importance of retrofitting and its contribution towards achieving net zero.

The shortlist is selected from the RIBA’s UK regional awards, with the winner announced alongside the RIBA Stirling Prize and Special Awards (Client of the Year, Neave Brown Award and Stephen Lawrence Prize).

RIBA President, Simon Allford, said, when the award was launched:

“We have a collective responsibility as architects to minimise the impact of our work on the planet’s resources and maximise the societal and economic benefits of our work. As part of RIBA’s work to champion and incentivise sustainability, we are pleased to have introduced the new Reinvention award for recognising remarkable achievements in the field. The inventive reuse of buildings is critical to reducing carbon emissions and, whilst often not the simplest solution, requires exceptional creativity and vision – I look forward to seeing some inspiring examples in due course.”

Chair of RIBA Awards Group, Denise Bennetts, said, when the award was launched:

“It is imperative that we rethink the way we build to create a more positive, viable future. Exploring the possibilities of imaginative reuse is one of the most effective ways that we can address the climate crisis within the architecture industry, which in turn has the potential to transform how we approach the spaces we live, work, and play in.”

[edit] The 2024 RIBA Reinvention Awards

The 2024 shortlist was announced in September 2024 and 'acknowledges four projects that revitalise the areas and communities around them, each improving the places we live and work while creating a new, ambitious standard in how we approach reuse in architecture.' Jury Chair and Director of Dow Jones, Biba Dow, said:

“Each of the shortlisted projects presents an exceptional approach to adapting an existing building. Our shortlist of four is diverse, with a commercial office building in central London, a Grade I-listed mill in Shropshire that is the earliest iron-framed building in the world, the redevelopment of Park Hill (Phase 2) housing in Sheffield which is Europe’s largest listed structure, and a restaurant in a small ruined byre on the Isle of Mull. "

The 2024 shortlist is given below, for full details and further announcements visit RIBA Reinvention Award 2024

• Croft 3 Isle of Mull by Fardaa, winning a RIAS Award
• Park Hill Phase 2 by Mikhail Riches for Urban Splash and Places for People, winning a RIBA Yorkshire Award 2024, RIBA Yorkshire Project Architect of the Year 2024 and National Award 2024
• Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios for Historic England, winning a RIBA West Midlands Award 2024, RIBA West Midlands Client of the Year 2024, RIBA West Midlands Project Architect of the Year 2024, RIBA West Midlands Conservation Award 2024, RIBA West Midlands Building of the Year 2024 (sponsored by EH Smith) and National Award 2024
• The Parcels Building by Grafton Architects for Private Client, winning a RIBA London Award 2024

[edit] The 2023 RIBA Reinvention Awards

The 2023 RIBA Awards were open for entries until 12 January 2023.

All 2023 RIBA regional award-winning projects will be considered for the Reinvention Award if they:

• Confirm that a project is reusing an existing building or structure
• Supply carbon and operational energy (where applicable)
• Demonstrate how the project has improved the building or structure by achieving one or more of the sustainable outcomes in RIBA’s Sustainable Outcomes Guide.

The winner for 20923 was the Houlton School by van Heyningen and Haward Architects. Client SUE GP LLP (JV between Urban&Civic PLC and Aviva) . Award RIBA West Midlands Award 2023 and shortlisted for the RIBA Reinvention Award 2023

Fort further information and updates visit https://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/RIBA-Reinvention-Award

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