The 2026 Stirling Prize shortlist, announced by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), features six contenders, with Renzo Piano's Paddington Square as the conspicuous outlier. Unlike the other five shortlisted projects, which are predominantly brick-built, Paddington Square is a glass-clad office block rising 18 storeys above Paddington Station in London.
From Pole to Cube
Originally conceived as a 72-storey residential tower dubbed the "Paddington Pole," the project faced fierce opposition from heritage bodies and community groups, receiving 1,800 objections before Westminster Council refused planning permission. Developer Irvine Sellar and architect Renzo Piano then revised the design, reducing the height by 54 storeys to create an 18-storey cube. The transformation was dubbed "Pole-axed" by Building magazine. Sellar, who died in 2017, did not live to see the completion or the Stirling Prize nomination.
A New Public Realm
Beyond its trophy tower status, Paddington Square reshapes the public realm around its base, improving the arrival experience at Paddington Station. Previously, passengers were funnelled down a dismal ramp into what resembled a giant mouse hole. Now, they are greeted by a paved piazza, part of a network of spaces and routes designed to integrate the station more logically into its surroundings.
Brick-Heavy Shortlist
The other five shortlisted projects are all brick structures: Fairmead High Beach housing in Epping by Sergison Bates, featuring pale beige Cumbrian bricks; Lion Green Road housing in Croydon by Mary Duggan and Ruff Architects, with three subtle shades of brown brick; additions to Pembroke College, Cambridge, by Haworth Tompkins, using purply reddish brick; the River Wing at Clare College, Cambridge, by Witherford Watson Mann, also in purply reddish brick; and the transformation of a 1970s theatre in Hertford by Bennetts Associates, using mottled light orange brick. Critics note the stylistic homogeneity, with the shortlist dominated by what some call the "Jaguar dashboard" school of design.
Geographical Limitations
The shortlist has also been criticised for its limited geographic range, with no projects from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, or the north or west of England. The RIBA awards website highlights several notable projects that did not make the shortlist, including the Tarlair Pool outdoor lido in Aberdeenshire, David Kohn's eclectic housing for New College Oxford, the Buttermarket in Redruth, Cornwall, and Squire & Partners' renovation of Space House on London's Kingsway.
Winner Announcement
The winner of the 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize will be announced on 15 October at Old Billingsgate, London.
