Goldsmith Street beat out five other shortlisted nominees to scoop the coveted architecture award.
The Royal Institute of British Architects just awarded the 2019 Stirling Prize to Goldsmith Street, a new housing development that provides nearly 100 affordable housing units for the city of Norwich. It features communal gardens, wide alleyways that favor pedestrian safety, sweeping balconies, and an earth-friendly design.
Local firm Mikhail Riches designed the development to meet rigorous Passivhaus environmental standards. It “provides a high level of occupant comfort while using very little energy for heating and cooling,” according to The Passivhaus Trust.
Goldsmith Street takes on Norwich’s housing crisis with an eco-friendly design centered around communal green spaces.
Photo: Tim Crocker
Throughout the development, pocket parks add green space and wide pathways prioritize pedestrian safety.
Photo: Tim Crocker
RIBA president Alan Jones calls the development a “beacon of hope,” as it addresses both the global climate emergency and one of the worst housing crises the area has faced in generations. “It is commended not just as a transformative social housing scheme and eco-development,” he says, “but as a pioneering exemplar for other local authorities to follow.”
Goldsmith Street beat out a $1 million overhaul of London Bridge station, a house made entirely of cork, and an acoustically advanced opera house in Leicestershire, to name a few contenders.
Three-story flats bookend rows of two-story houses.
Photo: Tim Crocker
See the full story on Dwell.com: An Eco-Friendly Affordable Housing Project Just Won the RIBA Stirling Prize
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