
Everyone's favourite new underground line scoops top award.
London's Elizabeth line has claimed the 2024 Stirling Prize. One of the highest awards in architecture, the prize recognises Britain's 'best new building', as judged by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
As you won't have failed to notice, the Elizabeth line is a bit more than 'a new building'. The award has gone to the entire 62 miles of track and 10 new stations. So, technically, you could point to a random stretch of rail outside Slough and call it a Stirling Prize winner.

According to RIBA President Muyiwa Oki: "The Elizabeth line is a triumph in architect-led collaboration, offering a flawless, efficient, beautifully choreographed solution to inner-city transport. It's an uncluttered canvas that incorporates a slick suite of architectural components to create a consistent, line-wide identity — through which thousands of daily passengers navigate with ease. Descending into the colossal network of tunnels feels like entering a portal to the future, where the typical commuter chaos is transformed into an effortless experience."
All of this is true, but we can't help thinking all that curvy concrete is a bit samey-samey after a while. If we were in charge, we'd have random patches of concrete painted up in vibrant colours, to relieve the monotony. Or perhaps get the street artists in.
This is why we're not in charge.
The project, which took well over a decade to realise, was masterminded by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and AtkinsRéalis. The line runs from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, carrying around 700,000 passengers a day.

The Elizabeth line was part of a Stirling shortlist that heavily skewed towards London. Other nominations included Chowdhury Walk, a distinctive row of council housing in Hackney; the National Portrait Gallery rebuild; and, somewhat surprisingly, the King's Cross masterplan, which is 20 years old but is only now reaching completion.
Previous London winners of the prize include the City's Bloomberg Building (2018), the Gherkin (2004) and Lord's Media Centre (1999).