RIBA Announces 34 Winning Projects for 2026 International Awards for Excellence

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has named 34 winning projects for its 2026 International Awards for Excellence, selected from a shortlist of 52, spanning 15 countries. The winners are now in contention for the RIBA International Prize, to be awarded at a ceremony in London on 15 October 2026. Notable projects include the transformation of a former grain silo into Kunstsilo art museum in Kristiansand, Norway, by Mestres Wåge, Bax and Mendoza Partida; the conversion of a Chocolat Tobler warehouse into cooperative housing in Berne by BHSF Architektur & Städtebau; and the reimagining of a historic Shanghai neighbourhood as Rockbund cultural district by David Chipperfield Architects and Arquitectonica. Climate-responsive designs feature prominently, such as Studio Mumbai and Studio Méditerranée's Château de Beaucastel winery in France, which uses natural airflow and shade for cooling, and Bjarke Ingels Group's The Plus, a carbon-neutral furniture factory in Norway. Community-focused projects include Hassell's Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre in Uganda's Yumbe District, serving one of the world's largest refugee settlements, and Schmidt Hammer Lassen's Shanghai Library East, housing 4.8 million books. Awards group chair Neil Gillespie praised the projects for demonstrating architecture's ability to create delight and dignity within environmental, social, and economic constraints.