Seven make regional RIBA shortlist

Projects including Manchester’s Aviva Studios Factory International and Liverpool’s Municipal Hotel & Spa are in the running for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ North West Awards 2025.

Also in contention are the University of Salford’s SEE Building and a mental health clinic and outpatient unit at Liverpool children’s hospital Alder Hey. Schemes in Wilmslow, Windermere and Heswall complete the list.

A RIBA judging panel will visit each shortlisted scheme before North West winners are announced later this spring.

Winners will then be considered for several RIBA special awards, including the RIBA Sustainability Award, before being considered for a RIBA National Award, which will be announced in summer.

A shortlist for the Stirling Prize, recognising the country’s best new building, will then be drawn up from the national award winners, with the winner announced in autumn.

The projects:

Aviva Studios – Factory International, by OMA

The venue has impressed punters since opening. Credit: Marco Cappelletti

Was it all worth it in the end? The 143,000 sq ft multi-use cultural venue, conceived as a flagship for the Manchester International Festival, was beset throughout its delivery by rising costs, with client Manchester City Council being called on to meet a construction bill that eventually climbed from the original estimate of £110m to £241m.

Langdale Chase Hotel, by Campbell Driver Partnership

Campbell Driver designed the hotel’s makeover. Credit: Daniel Twaites

The Nelson practice is one of the most prolific in Lancashire and Cumbria, working on a series of projects across various sectors. Windermere’s Langdale Chase Hotel reopened its doors in late 2024 following a 12-month restoration.

Lighthouse Church, by shedkm

The Parish of Heswall was the client. Credit: Daniel Hopkinson Photography

As described by shedkm, Lighthouse Church, a £2m project delivered for client the Parish of Heswall, “is designed to provide a renewed Christian presence and sense of community in the heart of Heswall”. The 10,330 sq ft church enjoys extensive glazing and looks to provide a hospitable welcome to the surrounding streetscape.

The Catkin Centre and Sunflower House, by Cullinan Studio with 10architect

Access to nature is a key factor in the design. Credit: Paul Raftery

Delivered for Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, the twin buildings are located at the main hospital site. Sunflower House is a secure tier-four mental health inpatient unit, while the Catkin Centre houses several outpatient clinics covering conditions such as ASD and ADHD. The facilities were designed with ‘contact with nature’ as a driving principle.

The Municipal Hotel & Spa by M:Gallery, by Falconer Chester Hall

Fragrance Group now owns the former council offices. Credit: MH&S

Grade two*-listed, formerly home to Liverpool City Council offices, the Dale Street building is now up and running as a four-star hotel and spa, with a four-storey rear extension providing a modern twist that dovetails with the historic structure, with Liverpool firm FCH at the design controls. The Fragrance Group hotel is operated by Accor.

School of Science, Engineering & Environment at the University of Salford, by Sheppard Robson

This is the latest addition to the Peel Park campus. Credit: Jack Hobhouse

The 165,000 sq ft four-storey building at the Peel Park campus introduces specialist laboratories, design studios and collaborative spaces to the university. Conceived in 2017, the project team had to navigate the Covid pandemic to open on the schedule, with Morgan Sindall delivering as main contractor.

Vestige, by Smith Young Architects

Materials from the site were used in its redevelopment. Credit: Daniel Hopkinson

A project to deliver a family home in Wilmslow for a private client, Vestige was originally conceived as a scheme to extend and convert an existing detached Edwardian house. According to the architect’s project description, “reuse, recycle, resource became the mandate for the project” as it was changed to become a pure new-build using the former building’s brickwork as its base.

RIBA North West jury chair Dominic Wilkinson, principal lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, said: “This year’s shortlist demonstrates the region’s ongoing ambition to create high quality architecture, with a strong selection of projects across a range of scales. Public buildings are well represented with a commitment to excellence which offers hope for the civic realm.

“From small houses to large events venues, and from new builds to creative adaptation of historic structures, the shortlisted projects highlight a serious commitment to minimising carbon footprints and reducing the environmental impact of the construction sector, displaying the positive role architecture plays for both clients and the wider community.”