The 2025 jury were looking for ‘exceptional reinvention’ which was ‘regenerative, transformational in form and function, while contributing to society and biodiversity’.

The selected projects include Hugh Broughton Architects’ regeneration of a 19th century former church in Sheerness into a community centre and co-working space, which has already scooped the RIBA’s South East Building of the Year 2025 award.

Also shortlisted was Architype’s adaptation of a former 1930s telephone exchange into a sustainable office building in Cambridge, Stanton Williams’ refurbishment of a Grade II*-listed Arts and Craft building in Oxford, and Kaner Olette Architects’ barn transformation in Sussex. This rural reinvention is among the finalists for this year’s Stephen Lawrence Prize too.

The Reinvention Award shortlist is selected from winners of the RIBA Regional Awards 2025.

Julia Barfield, 2025 jury chair and managing director of Marks Barfield Architects, said: ‘It is testament to the welcome speed of change in the industry that 51 per cent of RIBA UK award winners are for refurbishment or conservation and that the reinvention awards are to such high quality.’

Rhodes House Transformation by Stanton Williams

The award, first presented in 2023, recognises achievement in the reuse of buildings to improve their environment, social, or economic sustainability, as well as highlighting retrofit projects that reduce the need for demolition and new construction.

  • Knepp Wilding Kitchen and shop by Kaner Olette Architects
    A multi-functional redevelopment of a collection of decaying farm buildings into a sustainable series of spaces including a café/restaurant and farm shop. Located within the UK’s first rewilding project in West Sussex, the scheme aims at the ‘restoration of nature through food’.
  • Rhodes House Transformation by Stanton Williams
     A modernisation and extension of a 100-year-old Grade II-listed Arts and Craft building in Oxford. The project has doubled the buildings usable space while upgrading its layout to ‘foster a vibrant and diverse community committed to building a better world’.
  • Sheerness Dockyard Church by Hugh Broughton Architects
    The restoration of a Grade II-listed 19th century former church into a community facility, hosting a co-working space, café and an exhibition and events space. The building was previously on Historic England’s ‘heritage at risk’ register after it was gutted’by fire in 2001.
  • The Entopia Building by Architype
    An office building adapted from a former 1930s telephone exchange within a conservation area in Cambridge. Commissioned by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership to house their global headquarters it boasts ‘astonishingly low’ energy use and meets Passivhaus standards.

As well as Barfield, the 2025 jury also includes Stephanie Crombie, Supernatural Studio, sustainability advisor, Leanne Tritton, FRIBA, Don’t Waste Buildings, lay assessor and Edward Farleigh-Dastmalchi, fardaa, Reinvention Winner, 2024.

The winner will be announced at the Stirling Prize ceremony on 16 October 2025.

Knepp Wilding Kitchen and shop by Kaner Olette Architects (Project architect: Toko Andrews)