Elizabeth Line in London wins the UK’s top architecture prize

The most prestigious architecture award in the UK has been conferred to an infrastructure project. The Elizabeth Line has been named as the winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Stirling Prize 2024 as a “beautifully choreographed solution to inner-city transport”.

The prize, which is usually awarded to the UK’s best new building, this year has gone to the capital’s newest metro line, with ten new stations and a 62-mile network which connect east to west via central London.

The Elizabeth Line, formerly known as Crossrail, opened in 2022, cost £19 billion and transports over 700,000 passengers every day. “It is an extraordinarily complex architectural feat masked by an elegant simplicity,” Riba said.

“The Elizabeth Line is a triump in architect-led collaboration”, said Muyiwa Oki, president of RIBA and jury chair. “It’s an uncluttered canvas that incorporates a slick suite of architectural component to create a consistent identity through which passengers navigate with ease. This is architecture of the digital age, a vast scheme that utilises cutting-edge technology to create distinctive spatial characteristics and experiences.”

The judges also praised the network’s inclusive design, which includes step-free access throughout and sensitive interventions such as hiding acoustic mats behind cladding to absorb excess noise, using a restrained colour palette and streamlining the design to create a sense of calm in a crowded environment many people can find overwhelming.

Environmental considerations were also taken into account to future-proof the network, such as passive cooling at platform level to reduce the need for heating, air conditioning and temperature control to deal with climate change and escalation motion sensors that minimise the waste of energy.

The Elizabeth Line was designed by a group of architects, engineers and lighting designers including Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and AtkinsRéalis.

“The Elizabeth line is a piece of infrastructure that has been transformative, not only for London’s transport network but also for many people’s lives, highlighting the role design plays in elevating our every day”, said Neill McClements, partner at Grimshaw. Thirty years ago Grimshaw won the 1994 RIBA prize for its Waterloo International railway station.