// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
London housing project wins top architecture award
Lion Green Road in Coulsdon was praised by judges for blending high-density housing into an area of natural beauty
A suburban housing development in south London has won the UK's most prestigious architecture award, with judges praising its sensitive design and integration into the surrounding landscape.
Lion Green Road in Coulsdon, comprising 157 homes across five distinctive 13-sided blocks, was named winner of the 2026 Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba).
Designed by Mary Duggan Architects and built with RUFF Architects, it combines affordable and private housing for Croydon Council.
Replacing a former car park on a challenging, sloping site that varies in height by eight metres, Riba president Chris Williamson praised the design as a "new approach to higher density development" creating "a new connection between the bustling Lion Green Road and a distinctive area of green parkland beyond".
Mary Duggan said Lion Green Road was a project "about the culture of dwelling"
Duggan said the win was "extraordinary, unexpected and humbling".
"Lion Green Road began in 2016 with a very clear vision, to create genuinely non-institutional housing and to think differently about what affordable housing could offer commnities.
"We think of Lion Green Road as a project about the culture of dwelling... architectural ambition, social value and social realities can co-exist."
Riba president Chris Williamson said the judging process was "inspirational and emotional"