A social sanctuary for young people inside a hospice (Young People’s Space), the regeneration of a Grade I listed, 700-year-old parish church (Hull Minster), and an interactive gallery at the National Railway Museum (Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery) are among the five winners of the RIBA Yorkshire Awards 2025.
Presented since 1966, the RIBA Awards set the standard for great architecture across the country.
The Awards were announced at a ceremony this evening (8 May), at which Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery was named as winner of RIBA Yorkshire Building of the Year Award 2025 (sponsored by EH Smith). The jury praised the architects “design interventions” as “controlled and considered”, celebrating “the creative process and language of railway engineering principles.”
The RIBA Yorkshire Awards 2025 winning projects are:
Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery by De Matos Ryan - Building of the Year (sponsored by EH Smith) and Project Architect of the Year (Jose Esteves de Matos)
A light, spacious new gallery at the National Railway Museum offers a STEM-focused learning experience for young people.
Petronella House by Chiles Evans + Care Architects
A contemporary refurbishment of a late Victorian villa within a conservation area in Sheffield.
Young People’s Space by ArkleBoyce - Small Project of the Year and Client of the Year (sponsored by Equitone)
Set within St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds, a new, environmentally friendly timber pavilion provides a social sanctuary for young people.
Duncan Place Library & Community Hub by EDable Architecture
The regeneration of a Victorian building in Loftus has combined a youth and community facility, family base, and library to create a new cultural and community destination.
Hull Minster by Bauman Lyons Architects Ltd
The careful regeneration of a Grade I listed, 700-year-old parish church.
The five projects were selected by the expert jury, who visited all shortlisted projects.
RIBA Yorkshire Jury Chair Gayle Appleyard, Director of Gagarin Studio said:
“Amid these varied contexts, this year's Yorkshire award-winning projects stood out for their quiet ambition. Many having been realised during the challenges of the Covid pandemic, yet they managed to do a lot with a little. These buildings don’t shout; instead, they quietly improve, enhance, and bring joy to the lives of the people who use them.
The Yorkshire region—an expansive and diverse county encompassing urban centres, coastal towns, and sweeping rural landscapes—offered us an extraordinary journey during our jury visits. From vibrant cities to the sublime moorlands and dales, and out to the county’s edges, the experience was both a spectacle and a marathon, and it was a tremendous privilege to lead a jury of experts and advocates committed to championing excellence in architecture.”
Speaking on all the UK Award winners, RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki, said:
“This year’s winners exemplify architecture’s power to transform—turning spaces into places of connection, creativity, and care. Spanning the length of the UK and diverse in form and function, our 2025 winners show a deep sensitivity to place and a strong coherence of thought between all teams involved. Individually these projects inspire and uplift, but collectively, they remind us that architects do far more than design buildings, they shape the way we live, work and connect.”
RIBA Yorkshire Award winners will now be considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 10 July. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For further press information please contact Max.Heptonstall@riba.org
- High resolution images and jury citations: RIBA Yorkshire
- RIBA Special Awards are sponsored by EH Smith (Building of the Year), Autodesk (Sustainability Award), Equitone (Client of the Year) and Velux (Conservation).
- The RIBA Awards have been running since 1966 and are judged and presented locally. No matter the shape, size, budget or location, RIBA Award winning schemes set the standard for great architecture all across the country. RIBA Awards are for buildings in the UK by RIBA Chartered Architects and RIBA International Fellows.
- Entries are submitted to the region or nation in which the building is situated. Projects are judged first for RIBA Regional Awards, then RIBA National Awards; the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist is selected from winners of the RIBA National Awards.
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. Follow @RIBA on Twitter for regular updates.
