Architect behind Richmond Art School wins prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize

We are delighted to celebrate the news that Mary Duggan, the architect behind our Richmond Art School building, has won the 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize!

The RIBA Stirling Prize is the UK’s most prestigious architecture award, recognising buildings that have made a significant contribution to the development of architecture and the built environment. Mary Duggan received this year’s prize alongside RUFF Architects for Lion Green Road, an ambitious new housing development in Coulsdon, south London.

Commissioned by Croydon Council, Lion Green Road provides 157 homes across five distinctive buildings, combining privately owned and socially rented housing. The development has transformed a former car park on a challenging sloping site, creating new connections between Lion Green Road and the neighbouring parkland.

The buildings are arranged around open, shared outdoor spaces designed to encourage interaction and foster a sense of community. Every home is dual-aspect, bringing in generous daylight, while the careful positioning of the buildings and balconies helps to preserve privacy and provide residents with open views.

This thoughtful balance of distinctive design, community space and connection with the surrounding landscape earned the project architecture’s highest UK honour.

Here at RHACC, Mary Duggan’s work can also be seen in our Richmond Art School building at Parkshot Campus. The purpose-built creative environment is home to a vibrant community of adult learners studying subjects including drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, photography and jewellery.

Her Stirling Prize success gives us another reason to celebrate the architecture of our own Art School and the role that inspiring, thoughtfully designed spaces can play in supporting creativity, learning and community.

We’d like to send our congratulations to Mary Duggan and everyone involved in Lion Green Road on this outstanding achievement!

Find out more about the winning project in the BBC’s report on the 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize.