Artificial intelligence has made its predictions for the 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist, selecting six projects from the 20 contenders that received the Royal Institute of British Architects' National Awards. The AI's speculative choices were announced just one day before the official shortlist is set to be revealed on September 4th, offering an intriguing preview of which architectural projects might compete for the UK's highest honor in architecture.
The AI-generated shortlist was based on multiple criteria including scale, innovation, social impact, heritage value, and environmental design considerations. From a diverse longlist that featured projects ranging from a Scottish women's prison and a 16th-century Scottish tower to a trauma healing center and women's café in Southampton, the AI made its selections using these comprehensive evaluation factors.
Perhaps controversially, but not entirely unpredictably, all of the AI's chosen contenders are located in London and southern England, raising questions about regional representation in architectural recognition. This geographic concentration will be closely watched when the official RIBA shortlist is announced, as it may indicate broader patterns in architectural achievement or recognition.
The AI selected the London College of Fashion by Allies and Morrison as one of its top picks. This monumental 40,000-square-meter educational facility represents a £216 million investment that consolidates six former sites into a single vertical campus. Standing 17 stories tall, it holds the distinction of being the UK's tallest higher-education building and serves as a hub for fashion production on the former Olympic Park's East Bank waterfront. The RIBA jury praised the project as a dynamic contributor to Stratford's ongoing economic and social transformation.
Another selection is The Discovery Centre (DISC) in Cambridge, designed by Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with BDP. This triangular, 62,800-square-meter medical research facility was created for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, combining thoughtful placemaking with cutting-edge scientific innovation. Despite experiencing significant delays due to the company's focus on COVID-19 pandemic response, the project has overcome a complicated development history that began with the architects' design contest victory in 2012. Situated between Royal Papworth and Addenbrooke hospitals, the building features a continuously serrated glass façade that the jury described as both visually and ecologically attractive.
The AI also chose the Elizabeth Tower restoration in London, executed by Purcell architects. Housing Big Ben, the nation's symbolic bell and timepiece, this project represents a masterclass in conservation and craftsmanship. Originally completed in 1859 to architect A.W.N. Pugin's designs for the Houses of Parliament, the tower has undergone renovations approximately every 30 years, with the most recent occurring in the mid-1980s. However, Purcell's comprehensive restoration stands out as the most thorough to date, with the jury noting how every element of the building fabric and clock mechanisms was painstakingly examined, researched, assessed, and preserved with incredible skill.
The Young V&A in London, redesigned by AOC Architecture and De Matos Ryan, represents another AI selection. The former Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green has been transformed into a bright, energizing cultural destination specifically designed for young visitors. This £8.4 million project involved refurbishing, upgrading, and internally reorganizing the Grade II-listed building. The design team conducted extensive consultations with 20,000 children and young people, resulting in what the jury described as a palpable sense of energy and vitality since the museum's reopening.
Venturing slightly outside London, the AI selected Hazelmead, Bridport Cohousing in Dorset, designed by Barefoot Architects. The RIBA jury praised this sustainable co-housing development of 53 timber-framed homes as a "complete triumph." The £9.5 million residential settlement on the outskirts of Dorchester resulted from more than a decade of collaboration between the Bristol-based architecture firm and the community housing organization client. Judges were particularly impressed by the client's commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and shared living, as well as their tenacity in overcoming funding challenges, navigating complex planning processes, and co-designing net-zero-carbon homes with their dedicated architects.
The final AI selection is the Sheerness Dockyard Church in Kent, restored by Hugh Broughton Architects. This Grade II-listed church, which had suffered damage from two fires, has been exquisitely restored and transformed into a community facility through a £5.9 million project for the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust. Before its rebirth as an 874-square-meter enterprise center featuring a café, co-working space, and meeting rooms, the trust had described the 200-year-old church as an architectural masterpiece and one of the most important at-risk buildings in southeastern England. The jury praised the now-occupied internal areas as beautifully light and moving.
The accuracy of AI's predictive capabilities in architectural recognition will soon be tested when the official RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist is announced. The comparison between AI selections and the actual jury choices will provide valuable insights into both the predictability of architectural awards and the sophistication of artificial intelligence in evaluating complex cultural and technical criteria. Whether the official shortlist will mirror the AI's London and southern England focus, or demonstrate greater geographic diversity, remains to be seen.
