This year’s environmental prize shortlist, selected from a range of categories, is an impressive showcase of resource efficient, sustainable places, buildings and infrastructure. The project review showed how clients and designers are increasingly seeking to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Sustainable buildings can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The Environmental Prize expert panel reviewed a range of project submissions, from multi-residential developments costing over £50M to build, down to small housing plots costing less than £500k. We also looked at best environmental practice in workplace, cultural, educational, public and infrastructure buildings. When reviewing the projects, it was apparent that many clients and design teams want to go far beyond recognised environmental benchmarking systems such as BREEAM, and adopt strategies that add value in other ways, including providing social value and enhancing the human experience. 

This is the tenth anniversary of the NLA awards and it’s great to see how attention to environmentally conscious design has grown. It was a pleasure to have been involved in the Environmental Award shortlisting process. The projects show how creative and innovative designers can push the boundaries and make environmental progress, sometimes in beautifully simple ways. The projects demonstrate how London can deliver some of the best environmental practice in Europe.  

Sponsored by Hoare Lea
Recognising the most sustainable projects in the capital, the Environmental Prize will be awarded to the scheme that shows design strategies that minimise environmental impact as well as an efficient use of materials, a low carbon footprint and innovation. Selected from submissions across all categories, successful projects will be exemplar in creating a more socially and environmentally sustainable net-zero city.

in2space housing, Sutton by Lloyd Thomas Architects

The Reach, Greenwich by Pitman Tozer Architects Ltd

The Rye Apartments, Southwark by Tikari Works

Kingston School of Art, Kingston upon Thames by Haworth Tompkins

Bunhill 2 Energy Centre, Islington by Cullinan Studio, McGurk Chartered Architects (Delivery Architect)