Lion Green Road, a 157-home council scheme in Coulsdon, south London, has won the 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize. The development was designed by Mary Duggan Architects with RUFF Architects and built for Croydon Council by main contractor CField Construction under a £34 million deal.
Spread across five blocks, the scheme houses 635 residents on the site of a former car park. The land slopes by eight metres, and the architects used those changing levels and views to shape the layout rather than flattening the site.
The resulting arrangement, which the jury called a “living landscape”, also opens a new connection between the busy Lion Green Road and an area of green parkland behind the homes. A consistent specification, combined with modest variation in the height and orientation of the blocks, was used to deliver housing at scale without uniformity, according to the jury. The design draws on the site’s levels to give homes privacy and generous views while keeping a strong link to nature.
The project team attributes lower carbon emissions to efficient construction methods, simple finishes and a more streamlined building process.
Chris Williamson, RIBA President, speaking on behalf of the jury, said the scheme showed that density could be achieved without compromising the quality of the places created, at a time when more homes are urgently needed. He described the architecture as thoughtful and resourceful, adding that it demonstrated how even the most challenging sites could be turned into distinctive places for people to call home.