Kingston University needed to meet educational needs while also making students feel welcome when designing their new Town House building…and they turned to RIBA Competitions to help with this process.

This award-winning building replaced an existing structure on the northern edge of the Penrhyn Road Campus, and its detailed brief required a library, dance studios, and a performance space for students. The search for the right design started with an international RIBA Design Competition. From 35 initial entries, five strong teams were shortlisted and prepared design concepts. Following evaluation from an expert panel, Grafton Architects was selected as the overall winner.

The Former Director of Estates and Sustainability, Seán Woulfe commented on the reasons why he chose the RIBA Competition route: 'It was important to us at Kingston University to demonstrate how serious we are about good design and to secure a world-class architect with the capability to reflect our ambitions for this significant building. We wanted a quality building which will enable us to deliver our aspirations for educational innovation and community engagement as well as allowing us to set the sustainability agenda. The RIBA Competition office supported us very effectively and the process delivered an excellent design.'

Kingston University’s flagship Town House building went on to win the Stirling Prize in 2021 as well as the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award in 2022, the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture.

Town House, Kingston University © Ed Reeve

It is well known that good design is invaluable and can bring both immediate and lasting benefits helping improve and enrich people's lives. A positive client-architect relationship, where the client's aims and aspirations are well communicated, clearly understood, and mutually aligned with the architect, is critical in maximising the potential of any project. The use of an architectural design competition can be an excellent starting point.

However big or small your upcoming project, RIBA is uniquely placed providing clients with choice, inspiration, and value through expertly managed architectural design competitions. Utilising a RIBA Competition demonstrates a client's commitment to excellent design, high-quality architecture and a process that is fair, transparent and rigorous in selecting that design. Let RIBA guide and support you to achieve your aspirations through the competition process.

The Competitions team is available to discuss your project and offer more information about holding a competition and the process involved.

Email: [email protected]

Call: +44(0)20 7307 5355

Website: architecture.com/RIBACompetitions

This article is sponsored by RIBA.