The longlisted entries for the 2025 MacEwen Award are proof that architectural projects of any shape or form can bring significant benefits to communities
It's time to reveal our longlist for this edition of the MacEwen Award, 30 projects that meet its goals of engaging with inclusion, sustainability, communities and health – or contribute to the common good in some way. The number of projects is a tribute to the quality of the entries we received, but also to their diversity, ranging from bus stations to pocket gardens and everything in between.
Each of these entries proves that architectural projects of any shape or form can bring significant benefits to communities – in their conception and construction as well as their use – and we’re delighted to share them with you.
We’ll be announcing our shortlist on 14 January, and the winning projects on 27 and 28 January, so keep an eye on your inbox and this website for more news. The winners will also get a full (and fully deserved) write-up in our February issue.
The Clearing, Lesnes Abbey Woods, London, by WonKy for the London Borough of Bexley
A woodland classroom created on a former goods yard, the Clearing incorporates a shipping container providing storage for woodworking, as well as a plywood and Corten steel tower for monitoring equipment. The pièce de resistance is an old military parachute that provides cover from the weather and can be swiftly erected as a communal activity.
Harmeny Learning Hub, Balerno, by Loader Monteith Architects with Studio SJM for Harmeny Education Trust
A vocational learning centre, Harmeny Learning Hub provides a safe, inclusive environment for young people with complex needs. Located on a woodland estate, its L-shaped, timber-framed structure uses local materials and energy-efficient systems, and encloses a central courtyard that acts as a healing outdoor classroom.
Severn View Park Care Home, Chepstow, by Pentan Architects for Monmouthshire County Council
With an innovative approach to dementia care, Severn View Park Care Home employs a spacious open-plan design centred on a beautiful courtyard garden and a central ‘village hall’, creating a collaborative, nurturing environment in which staff and residents are actively involved in all aspects of daily life.
Stanley Arts, South Norwood, London, by Connolly Wellingham Architects for Stanley Arts
The renovation of Stanley Arts’ listed home improves its accessibility and flexibility, revitalising this arts and performance venue, and ensuring its continued role as an asset for both the local community and its residents. Bringing back-of-house upfront and involving local voices, the scheme maximises engagement in an act of ‘radical inclusivity’.
Alfreton Park Community Special School, Alfreton, Derbyshire, by Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture for Derbyshire County Council
Offering an inclusive environment for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, Alfreton Park creates a non-institutional atmosphere through strong, simple forms, with considered colour choices to assist wayfinding and ensure a calm ambience, furthered by sensitive timber finishes, wide corridors, and access to open spaces.
300 Harrow Road, North Paddington, London, by Child Graddon Lewis for Westminster City Council
This residential-led estate regeneration addresses the severe need for housing in the borough of Westminster, with three blocks delivering 112 affordable, energy-efficient homes, along with a nursery, community centre, canal-side café and start-up space. A new pedestrian route opens physical and visual connections to the canal, with a central play space and ‘green heart’ creating a thriving neighbourhood.
The Host Café, St Luke’s, Portsmouth, by Studio BAD for St Luke’s Church
To further broaden community activities, Studio BAD was commissioned to redevelop St Luke’s church hall into a welcoming, open space: The Host Café, offering refreshment, training and employment. Part of a phased design, it has an industrial feel, includes office and storage space, and turns an underused asset into a lively focal point.
The Lighthouse Church, Heswall, Merseyside, by shedkm for the Parish of Heswall
Replacing a blank brick facade, the Lighthouse Church’s new expanse of glass contributes to its bold yet approachable presence on the high street, facilitating both accessibility and hospitality, with its café highly visible to passersby. Inside, generous open space is used for dance classes, homework clubs and counselling sessions, and can be further extended by opening up its flexible rooms.
The Gilbert & George Centre, Spitalfields, London, by SIRS Architects for the Gilbert & George Centre
As well as preserving the charm of a 19th-century brewery, addressing both neglect and subsequent alterations, this restoration provides an efficient gallery that meets high sustainability standards around energy, water and materials. Engagement with stakeholders in the local community has helped in driving accessibility and involvement across demographics, as has the retention of free admission.
The Welcome Arch, Blackburn and Nelson, Lancashire, by Dual Works for In-Situ-In-Place and the National Festival of Making
Commissioned for the National Festival of Making, the Welcome Arch was created in a collaborative process involving residents, and reflects a sense of place, drawing on the historic textile industry as well as personal insights. A place to sit and converse, as well as enjoy workshops, the arch fulfilled a ceremonial function at the festival’s opening, and is now used at a community hub in Nelson.
The Camellia House, Rotherham, Yorkshire, by Donald Insall Associates for Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust
The project saved the beautiful but derelict Georgian Camellia House, transforming it into a thriving tearoom. The process involved trainees across a number of heritage crafts. The building is now fully accessible, with rainwater harvesting and a ground-source heat pump, and facilitates the trust’s community engagement programmes.
Halifax Bus Station Redevelopment, Halifax, West Yorkshire, by Stephen George + Partners for West Yorkshire Combined Authority
This new state-of-the-art and fully accessible bus station offers enhanced facilities and additional safety measures, as well as introducing sustainable features such as photovoltaic panels, heat pumps and a green roof. It also incorporates heritage structures and natural stone, improving visual and physical connections with the historic centre. Bus usage has increased since its completion.
Kensal House Community Rooms, Ladbroke Grove, London, by Studio Sam Causer for SPID Theatre
The restoration of 1930s community rooms on a social housing estate respects both their historic fabric and original civic intent. It introduces accessibility measures such as a new lift and ramped access, as well as full modern services. The rooms now provide a home for the progressive youth theatre charity, SPID, which offers a free programme of workshops for the local community.
Lea Bridge Library Pavilion & Garden, London, by Studio Weave for the London Borough of Waltham Forest
A flexible indoor and outside space for Lea Bridge Library, this extension provides a popular café and community space, and uses sustainable features to minimise energy and material use, such as furniture and joinery made from salvaged timber. Community planting events have created a climate-resilient garden around mature trees, which now acts as a permaculture ecosystem.
Albert School, Washington, Tyne and Wear, by JDDK Architects for Sunderland City Council
This rescue and conversion of a Victorian schoolhouse has created 15 specialised flats for vulnerable adults, all with modern facilities, all meeting current accessibility, energy and safety standards. With its welcoming courtyard garden, this is a socially conscious community asset, providing a template for future heritage redevelopments.
Revoe Public Square, Blackpool, by Other People's Dreams for Leftcoast
A new temporary public space, on previously neglected land, has brought together communities through collaborative making, and actively involved them in the improvement of the Revoe area. The 10m-wide circular platform is made from decking boards and bespoke concrete terrazzo slabs, and hosts programmed events, play and informal encounters.
Pavilion on The Green, Enfield, by Fisher Cheng for Enfield Council
A co-created and colourful temporary pavilion that engages residents and stakeholders in the transformation of a long-overlooked space, both now and in future. Over the summer, it has hosted a programme of over 60 events, with the involvement of 40 local individuals and organisations.
Cockpit Studios, Deptford, London, by Cooke Fawcett Architects for Cockpit
The £1.9 million project opens up this thriving craft centre to the public with a dramatic mural-clad entrance, garden, flexible educational spaces and café. A new annexe building to the rear has created additional studios and storage for makers, and is served by an air-source heat pump.
Christ Church Community Centre, Highbury, London, by Matthew Lloyd Architects for PCC of Christ Church Highbury with St John and St Saviour
A new single-storey building welcomes and better serves the local community, with flexible spaces, a café, kitchen and office, providing the location for an extensive series of new classes for vulnerable groups. The design draws on the existing church and nearby park, with stone-coloured brickwork and a lush green roof.
Nyth, Bangor, by Manalo & White for Frân Wen
The £3 million adaptation of a Grade II-listed church houses an innovative Welsh-language theatre for young people, especially those from low-income backgrounds. A variety of step-free and tactile spaces offers opportunities in performance, scriptwriting and technical disciplines, enhanced by a newly landscaped outdoor space.
The Nature and Wellbeing Centre, Birmingham, by Axis Design Architects for Birmingham Settlement
A bright red community café with plentiful landscape helps deliver opportunities and activities for marginalised communities. The café provides a safe space and meeting point next to Edgbaston Reservoir and is surrounded by an amphitheatre for performing arts, geodesic domes for environmental learning and an orchard for informal play.
Bayspace, St Ives, by Studio Skein for St Ives Workstation CIC
Bayspace is a £1.35 million mixed-use community space and enterprise hub, which aims to promote economic growth in Cornwall. The renovation and extension of a Grade II-listed 19th-century house offers co-working offices, meeting rooms, a café, terrace events space and more, all free of charge or at subsidised rates.
Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge, by RH Partnership Architects for Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge
This accessible and Passivhaus-certified student accommodation building for the university’s fastest-growing and most diverse college fosters both inclusion and sustainability. The new building provides 72 wheelchair-accessible en-suite student rooms, as well as carer rooms, alongside a café and dining, social and study spaces.
The Ripple Effect, Lomeshaye Park, Lancashire, by Other People’s Dreams for Super Slow Way
Overlooking the canal, the Ripple Effect is a small, co-designed and low-cost community space which hosts creative workshops, pop-up cafés, bike repair classes and other activities. The structure uses a second-hand flat-pack shipping container and was fabricated off-site, meaning it could easily be replicated in other locations.
Bell House Pottery, Dulwich, London, by Burgess Architects for Bell House
This new pottery studio for charity Bell House provides a place of calm and creativity for local residents. Every pottery course includes two subsidised places and the space hosts free ‘Let’s Clay Together’ events for community groups. The environmentally conscious structure is mostly timber and the studio is served by a ground-source heat pump.
Pocket Parks, East Birmingham, by Intervention Architecture for the National Trust and Birmingham City Council
The Firs and Bromford Pocket Park is one of four sites co-designed and co-built with the community, transforming underused spaces into vibrant green areas. The design celebrates local history and incorporates colourful, edible and low-maintenance plants that encourage biodiversity, providing a welcoming space for socialising, relaxation and connecting with nature.
Heathlands School Classroom Building, St Albans, by Manalo & White and Richard Lyndon Design for Heathlands School
This classroom building for deaf children at the UK’s largest sign-language school was designed after extensive consultation with pupils. Its colour scheme creates a supportive environment, aided by access to outdoor space and the absence of corridors. The result offers effective, calming conditions for teaching, and is the first part of a planned campus transformation.
Anchor Point, Birmingham, by Leap Architects for Betel UK
Anchor Point is a £6 million charity headquarters and multi-purpose community hub which supports vulnerable individuals recovering from addiction, homelessness, and long-term unemployment. It offers a holistic environment for recovery and reintegration into society, with performance spaces, meeting rooms, offices, a café, a children’s soft-play area and a beauty salon.
DRIFT, River Lagan, Belfast, by OGU Architects and MMAS for Belfast 2024
This floating pavilion opened up the River Lagan to the public in two locations last summer. It amplified the multisensory experience of the river and encouraged people to connect with related issues through sonic performances in collaboration with artist Matilde Meireles, plant-identification workshops, ecology presentations, river-themed films, mindfulness and stargazing.
WIP Space Studios, Wandsworth, London, by WIP Space for WIP Space
Affordable studio space in London is increasingly rare. WIP Space Studios meets the needs of artists with 17 studios, 2 live/work flats, a gallery, project space, community space and meeting room. It also establishes connections with the community and local businesses through an ongoing series of public-facing events, talks and exhibitions.