Tower Hamlets Town Hall has scooped two prestigious honours at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) London Awards, held on Tuesday night (13 May).
Located in the former Royal London Hospital building on Whitechapel Road, the new Town Hall was the overall winner for London being named RIBA London Building of the Year. The building also won a RIBA London Award.
The RIBA London Building of the Year Award is one of five special awards and is given to a project that exemplifies outstanding design and contribution to the built environment.
The jury praised the project to convert the old Grade II listed hospital building into a new Town Hall as a “tour de force of reinvention, combining a sensitivity to the existing building’s story with a sharpness of contemporary detailing.”
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:
“This is a proud moment for our borough and we’re honoured that this ambitious project of ours has been recognised with such significant awards.
"The decision to buy and invest in the former Royal London Hospital and transform it into our new Town Hall has never been just about an investment in bricks and mortar, but it’s an investment in people, in public service, in preserving our history and an investment in our future.
“Today we have an outstanding, welcoming and functional building which as both a historic yet modern accessible civic hub will continue to serve local communities for many years to come.”
Designed by RIBA Stirling Prize winning architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), Tower Hamlets Town Hall encompasses the restoration of the Grade II listed building with the addition of a new build extension as the new home for London Borough of Tower Hamlets, consolidating several of the council’s offices into one, more accessible location in Whitechapel. Responding to key eras of the existing building’s development, between 1757 and 1906, the design utilises architectural characteristics inherent in each to enrich the new internal environment.
Paul Monaghan, Founding Director of AHMM, said:
“We are extremely proud of this award. Tower Hamlets Town Hall took eight years to deliver and involved the input of many dedicated consultants and contractors. We were fortunate to have an ambitious client who appreciated the significance of the former hospital building for the residents of the borough and supported the design team in its reinvention to continue serving the community of east London.”
Since 1966, the RIBA Awards have celebrated the best in UK architecture.
RIBA London Award winners will now be considered for a RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 10 July.
The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.
Posted on Thursday 15th May 2025