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2025 RIBA South West and Wessex Awards winners

2025-05-10 - By David McManus

2025 RIBA South West and Wessex Awards winners, Winning Southwest English buildings, Best UK architecture projects

2025 RIBA South West and Wessex Awards Winners, UK

Royal Institute of British Architects – British Prize Winners: Buildings + Architects

10 May 2025

RIBA South West & Wessex Awards 2025 winners announced

Captions: Top Row, One Portwall Square © Timothy Soar (left), Two-Family House © Tristan Stocker (top middle), Studio Cottage © Agnese Sanvito (bottom middle), Shire End West © Patricia Rayner (right). Middle Row, Ferry House © Martin Gardner (left), The Orchards © Prewett Bizley Architects (right). Bottom Row, A House of Wood Shingle © French + Tye (upper left), The Cowshed © Lawrence Grigg (bottom left), The Story of Emily © Fotohaus (middle), Hazelmead, Bridport Cohousing © Rebecca Noakes (right).

2025 RIBA South West and Wessex Awards Winners News

A timber-framed co-housing development (Hazelmead, Bridport Cohousing), a bold riverside home (Ferry House) and a museum celebrating the legacy of Emily Hobhouse (The Story of Emily) are among the 10 winners of the South West and Wessex Awards 2025.

Presented since 1966, the RIBA Awards set the standard for great architecture across the country.

The Awards were announced at a ceremony on 8 May, at which The Story of Emily was named as winner of RIBA South West and Wessex Building of the Year Award 2025. The jury praised the “bold new architectural inventions” that offers “a stylish, uplifting experience with powerful interpretation spaces to tell its internationally important story”.

The RIBA South West and Wessex Awards 2025 winning projects are:

The Cowshed by Design Storey – Conservation Award (sponsored by Velux)
– The conversion of a Grade II listed Gloucestershire barn into a compact, inventive home.

One Portwall Square by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
– An innovative, energy-efficient office building that creates a new public space in Bristol.

The Orchards by Prewett Bizley Architects
– A modern, timber-clad home based on Passivhaus principles combines New York loft living with elements of local Somerset design.

The Story of Emily by Stonewood Design (Building of the Year, sponsored by EH Smith)
– A mix of restored buildings and striking new architecture forms a museum in Cornwall celebrating the legacy of Emily Hobhouse.

Ferry House by AR Design Studio
– A bold riverside home pairs dramatic geometric finish with detailed, accessible interiors.

Hazelmead, Bridport Cohousing by Barefood Architects (Client of the Year, sponsored by Equitone and Sustainability Award sponsored by Autodesk)
– 53 timber-framed affordable homes form a sustainable, co-housing development in Dorchester.

Shire End West by rak architecture (Small Project of the Year)
– An enchanting, modest extension of a Grade II listed 19th century house.

A House of Wood Shingle
– The transformation of a 1950s Bath bungalow into a stylish, shingle clad family home.

Studio Cottage (Project Architect of the Year – John Ashton)
– A meticulous repair and adaption of a Grade II listed studio cottage in the Cotswolds blends contemporary features with local materials and settings.

Two-Family House
– A family home in Cornwall is carefully detailed and designed to blend into the coastal environment.

The 10 projects were selected by the expert jury, who visited all shortlisted projects.

RIBA South West and Wessex Jury Chair and Head of Campus Planning and Design at the University of Bristol Rob Gregory, said:
“Almost without exception, each of the projects we visited were in some way impacted by the pandemic, and the intensity of that period was palpable. Whether we were visiting a new neighbourhood of houses on the outskirts of a regional town, a new office in a busy city centre, or a private home on a remote site – there was clear evidence of a deep understanding of both place and purpose. Perhaps that was because many of these projects were prolonged, allowing both client and architect time to reflect and iterate.

In all the projects we visited there was clear evidence that both client-related and site-related needs have been deeply understood, and as a result the architects, their clients, and our regional community more generally should be incredibly proud of all 13 of our shortlisted projects, not just those that have received awards.”

Speaking on all the UK Award winners, RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki, said:
“This year’s winners exemplify architecture’s power to transform – turning spaces into places of connection, creativity, and care. Spanning the length of the UK and diverse in form and function, our 2025 winners show a deep sensitivity to place and a strong coherence of thought between all teams involved. Individually these projects inspire and uplift, but collectively, they remind us that architects do far more than design buildings, they shape the way we live, work and connect.”

RIBA South West and Wessex Award winners will now be considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 10 July. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.

The RIBA South West and Wessex Awards 2025 winning projects are:

The Cowshed, Gloucestershire

One Portwall Square, Bristol

The Orchards, Somerset

The Story of Emily, Cornwall

Ferry House, Salisbury, Wiltshire

photos © Martin Gardner