Lion Green Road, a 157-home council housing 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.
The scheme consists of five blocks on the site of a former car park. The land slopes by eight metres, and the design uses the changing levels and views to organise the homes and public space rather than treating the slope as a problem to be flattened. The arrangement creates a new connection between the busy Lion Green Road and a distinctive area of green parkland beyond. The five blocks are arranged across the change in level.
According to the RIBA jury, the result is a new landscape for the 635 residents. The blocks are laid out to balance privacy with generous views and a close relationship to nature. The jury described the design as a garden neighbourhood in which density is achieved through a consistent specification, while subtle changes in height and orientation prevent the five blocks from reading as a uniform estate.
Chris Williamson, RIBA President, said the project was especially relevant at a time when more homes are urgently needed. In his view, Lion Green Road demonstrates that density can be increased without compromising the quality of the places created. He also said the architects had produced a new kind of garden neighbourhood, with privacy, views and access to nature held in balance.
The jury’s assessment went further, stating that the project shows how even the most challenging sites can be transformed into distinctive places for people to call home. That conclusion rests on the combination of the sloping site, the five-block layout and the use of level changes to connect the development with its surroundings.
The project team also used efficient construction methods, simple finishes and a more streamlined building process with the aim of reducing carbon emissions. These measures form part of the scheme’s delivery approach. The available project details present them as ways of cutting emissions but do not provide quantified energy or carbon results.
The award recognises a local-authority-backed housing scheme that brings together public procurement, a constrained site and a design focused on landscape, access and variation across five blocks. The £34 million contract covers 157 homes for Croydon Council, and the project now holds the RIBA’s 2026 Stirling Prize.