Lion Green Road, a 157-home council housing scheme in Coulsdon, south London, has won the RIBA Stirling Prize 2026. The development was designed by Mary Duggan Architects with RUFF Architects and built for Croydon Council by main contractor CField Construction under a £34m deal.
The scheme comprises five blocks on the site of a former car park. Its sloping plot varies in height by eight metres, and the design uses those level changes and views to create a new connection between the busy Lion Green Road and a green parkland area beyond. According to the project description, this arrangement forms a “living landscape” for 635 residents.
Construction approach
Croydon Council commissioned the homes, while CField Construction delivered the project as main contractor. The project states that it was able to cut carbon emissions by using efficient construction methods, simple finishes and a more streamlined building process. The five-block layout places 157 homes on a constrained, sloping urban site while maintaining a consistent specification across the development.
Jury citation
Chris Williamson, RIBA President, speaking on behalf of the RIBA Stirling Prize Jury, said the project demonstrated that density could be achieved without compromising the quality of places. He said the scheme used a consistent specification with subtle variation in height and orientation, offering housing at scale without uniformity.
Williamson described the result as a new kind of garden neighbourhood that balances privacy and generous views with a strong connection to nature. He called it a “living landscape” and said the architecture was thoughtful and resourceful, proving that even the most challenging sites could be transformed into distinctive places for people to call home.
What the award highlights
The recognition focuses attention on the delivery of council housing at density on a difficult site. The project combines a standardised approach with variations in building height and orientation, and it seeks to connect residents to nearby green space rather than turn its back on the surrounding landscape. Its jury citation also stresses the relationship between privacy, views and access to nature.
The Stirling Prize award adds a national architectural honour to a scheme whose core facts are closely tied to local authority housebuilding: 157 homes, five blocks, a £34m construction contract and a design shaped by an eight-metre level change. The project’s stated carbon reductions come from construction efficiency and simplified finishes.
The jury’s comments position Lion Green Road as an example of how a constrained former car park can be reworked into a residential neighbourhood. The scheme’s award does not, by itself, establish broader outcomes for housing delivery, but it gives the project a prominent platform as a council-backed model of dense, landscape-led housing.