A council-led housing development in Coulsdon, Croydon, has been awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize, recognising it as the UK's best new building. The Lion Green Road project, designed by Mary Duggan Architects with Ruff Architects, features 157 flats distributed across five pink and brown brick towers.
The development, built by Croydon council's former housebuilding company Brick by Brick, is situated on a steeply sloping site with mature trees and bluebell woodland. RIBA president Chris Williamson stated that Lion Green Road "shows that density can be achieved without compromising the quality of the places we create."
The project includes a mix of housing, with half of the flats designated for private rental in two towers, and the other half as affordable housing in three blocks retained by the council, rented at local housing allowance rates. The design incorporates dual-aspect flats, inset loggia balconies, and a public route through the site.
Brick by Brick, established in 2015, was halted in 2020 when Croydon council went bankrupt. Housing experts attribute its collapse to poor financial structuring, governance, and risk management.