Lion Green Road council housing wins RIBA Stirling Prize 2026

Lion Green Road, a 157-home mixed-tenure housing scheme in Coulsdon, in the south London borough of Croydon, was announced as the winner of the 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate on 15 October. The project, designed by Mary Duggan Architects with RUFFARCHITECTS and commissioned by Brick By Brick on behalf of Croydon Council, replaces a former car park on a sloping green hillside with five 13-sided prismatic blocks. The star-shaped plan allows every home to be dual-aspect, maximising daylight and views, and groups together private, shared-ownership and socially rented homes without visible distinction. Children's play areas, a sensory trail and residents' allotments line the hillside between the blocks. The jury, chaired by RIBA president Chris Williamson, praised the scheme for showing 'that density can be achieved without compromising the quality of the places we create'. It was the first council-commissioned project to take the Stirling Prize since Goldsmith Street in 2019 and the first south London winner since the prize began. Time Out London reported it as a major boost for Croydon and for London's council-led housing programmes.