The Elizabeth Line in London wins the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize

The Elizabeth Line in London is the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize-winning project, the UK's most prestigious architectural award, presented annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Established in 1996, the prize celebrates design excellence and awards the most significant architectural work completed in the UK within the year. The evaluation criteria include innovation, sustainability, social and economic impact, and the building’s ability to engage and satisfy its users.

Elizabeth Line, a new reality for London

The Elizabeth Line is London's new transportation network, designed by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, and AtkinsRéalis in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. This infrastructure stretches from Reading and Heathrow to Essex, covering 100 km of tracks, including 42 km of tunnels, with the capacity to transport up to 700,000 passengers on weekdays.

In addition to being a design masterpiece, the project has significantly impacted Londoners' daily lives, greatly increasing the City’s transportation network capacity, reducing congestion, and fostering the regeneration of various areas throughout the city. With ten new stations and various renovation projects, the line also contributes to creating new economic and social opportunities across the capital.

For its construction, solutions demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental sustainability were adopted. For example, six million tons of excavated soil from the tunnels were repurposed to create a nature reserve in Essex.

An inclusive architecture

The line’s stations were designed with a fluid and minimalist aesthetic, characterized by curved lines and ample spaces, providing functional and intuitive environments for passengers.

The station interiors feature perforated cladding, balanced lighting, and materials with soft, durable colors, such as silk-screened tempered glass, used in all stations to ensure a visual continuity that facilitates orientation. Lighting subtly shifts between warm and cool tones to distinguish different levels and junctions: warm indirect light is placed above the train doors, while cool direct light illuminates narrower passages.

One of the most appreciated aspects of the project is the inclusive design, which has made the entire network accessible to people with disabilities or sensory difficulties. Particular attention was also paid to noise reduction, and passive cooling systems and motion sensors were implemented to minimize energy consumption. This proactive approach ensures that the Elizabeth Line is prepared to meet future challenges, including climate change.

«The Elizabeth Line is an infrastructure that has had a transformative impact, not only on London’s transportation network but also on the lives of many people, highlighting the role design plays in improving our daily lives. It is also a recognition of the challenges our profession faces today, such as the responsibility to respond quickly to the climate emergency, decarbonize our cities, and prioritize social and economic equity. We know that all this is possible only through collaboration, and the Stirling Prize acknowledges all the design and construction teams who came together to make this project a success».

said Neill McClements, Partner at Grimshaw.

>>> Also discover The Warburg Institute in London, designed by Haworth Tompkins