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The \u00a380m restoration of London\u2019s Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben, has been shortlisted for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize, the UK\u2019s leading architecture award. Judges praised the project as \u201ca masterclass in conservation and craftsmanship,\u201d highlighting the scale of work undertaken during the five-year refurbishment \u2013 the most extensive in the landmark\u2019s 160-year history. The project included major repairs to the clock mechanism, reinstatement of the Victorian blue-and-gold colour scheme, and accessibility upgrades such as a new lift.
The Stirling Prize, awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), recognises the building deemed most significant for the advancement of architecture and the built environment. While typically awarded to new builds, the prize also honours major restorations. Last year\u2019s winner was London\u2019s Elizabeth Line rail project, while previous recipients include Liverpool\u2019s Everyman Theatre and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
Big Ben\u2019s restoration is one of six shortlisted projects for 2025. Other contenders include AstraZeneca\u2019s Discovery Centre in Cambridge, which blends cutting-edge laboratories with public spaces; the London College of Fashion\u2019s new 17-storey campus in Stratford; and the Appleby Blue Almshouse in Southwark, a social housing development for over-65s designed to foster community living.
The shortlist also features Niwa House in south London, a Japanese-inspired home designed with accessibility in mind, and Hastings House in East Sussex, a striking extension of a 19th-century home that uses timber-framed additions and industrial design features. Judges described both projects as inventive reuses of space that balance functionality with beauty.
RIBA President Chris Williamson said this year\u2019s finalists reflect architecture\u2019s \u201cunique ability to address urgent challenges with creativity, adaptability and care.\u201d He added that the projects provide \u201ca hopeful vision for the future,\u201d showing how architecture can strengthen communities and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive society. The winner of the Stirling Prize will be announced later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The \u00a380m restoration of London\u2019s Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben, has been shortlisted for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize, the UK\u2019s leading architecture award. Judges praised the project as \u201ca masterclass in conservation and craftsmanship,\u201d highlighting the scale of work undertaken during the five-year refurbishment \u2013 the most extensive in the landmark\u2019s 160-year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":17987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-featured"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/images-83.jpeg?fit=679%2C451&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17988"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17989,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17988\/revisions\/17989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}