These awards celebrate architectural excellence in the renewal and repurposing of existing buildings. This year’s 18 categories emphasise the reuse of existing structures and materials, and the lessons learnt. The fourth set of shortlisted categories to be announced are Future reuse; Models from Europe; Retrofit revisited; Decarbonisation at scale; and Meanwhile and grassroots.
Future reuse celebrates unbuilt projects that demonstrate strategic foresight and sustainable architectural vision for repurposing existing structures. The eight-project shortlist spans a range of typologies including drawing-board work for several high-profile existing buildings including the post-war Grade II*-listed Crystal Palace National Sports Centre’s swimming pool in south London and Alison and Peter Smithsons’ 1950s Smithdon High School in Hunstanton.
FaulknerBrowns and WOO architects put forward plans to renovate the iconic sports facility earlier this year, while Jestico + Whiles plans for a comprehensive refurbishment of the Norfolk school were granted listed building consent last year.
The Models from Europe shortlist – a new category introduced this year to celebrate how Europe is leading the way in terms of material circularity – features three projects. David Kohn Architects’ transformation of a former béguinage into architecture facility in Hasselt is shortlisted alongside DRDH Architects’ rehearsal room for the Belgium National Orchestra, while bureau SLA and Ninja Zurheide feature for From Weapons to Workspaces, a project that reimagines former military infrastructure for contemporary use in Zaandam in the Netherlands.
Retrofit revisited celebrates projects that have demonstrated the long-term success of retrofit, with schemes returning years after completion to show how they have performed in use. The four-project shortlist includes Allford Hall Monaghan Morris’s 2017 home for the Metropolitan Police alongside Gillespie Yunnie Architects’ work at Royal William Yard in Plymouth. LHC Design’s JCB Academy and Holland Harvey’s emergency night shelter – which featured in the AJ’s 2025 homelessness issue – complete the category.
For the four-strong Decarbonisation at scale category – adapted to recognise ambitious projects delivering significant carbon savings across large or complex estates – HTA Design’s work at the historic Sutton Estate joins Wright & Wright’s strategic refurb of Lambeth Palace for the Church of England on the shortlist, alongside GRID Architects’ ongoing transformation of the 1930s Stanley Gordon Jeeves-designed Dolphin Square.
The last of the 18 enterable categories to be announced is Meanwhile and grassroots. This celebrates temporary, community-led and low-cost projects that involve some material reuse and circularity. IF_DO’s Eagle House in Hastings appears for a second time in this year’s awards alongside Reed Watts Architects’ demountable Chichester theatre. Stride Treglown also features for its circular kitchen, a project that combines reuse with community engagement, while a tiny public facilities overhaul for a long-running Bristol venue completes the list.
Formerly known as the AJ Retrofit Awards, the awards programme was renamed the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards in 2024 to better reflect the expanding scope of retrofit practice, from adaptive reuse to decarbonisation and whole-life carbon reduction.
More than 110 projects have been shortlisted across this year’s awards. Each practice has presented its project to the judges in a virtual session comprising a five-minute presentation followed by up to 10 minutes of questions. The 28-strong jury includes net zero carbon manager Tania Jennings, Max Fordham partner and director of sustainability Hero Bennett and associate professor at the London School of Architecture Ruth Lang.
The winners will be announced at the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards on Thursday 24 September at a new venue this year – the Grade II-listed Art Deco live events and music hall The Troxy in east London. You can find out more about the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards here.
Last week, the AJ announced that keynote speeches from Grafton co-founder Shelley McNamara and OMA partner Reinier de Graaf will bookend the AJ’s CircularBuild 2026 event, to be held on 16 September in central London.
CircularBuild 2026, which will also include contributions from Mace, Landsec, and Great Portland Estates, will be held at Convene in the City of London.
The event, now in its fifth year, is an evolution of the annual AJ Retrofit Live event, which was inspired by our RetroFirst campaign for the reuse of existing buildings.
Shortlists
Future reuse
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre by FaulknerBrowns
Source: FaulknerBrowns/Pillar Visuals
10 Salisbury Square by John Robertson Architects
201 Grafton Gate by LOM architecture and design
Cables Wynd and Linkview House by Collective Architecture
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre by FaulknerBrowns
Smithdon High School by Jestico + Whiles
The Pitt Edinburgh by S+CO
The Tate Institute by Office S&M Architects
URS Building by Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt
Models from Europe
Hasselt Beguinage by David Kohn Architects
Source: Stijn Bollaert
Atelier BNO – Rehearsal room for the Belgium National Orchestra by DRDH Architects
From Weapons to Workspaces by bureau SLA and Ninja Zurheide
Hasselt Beguinage by David Kohn Architects
Retrofit revisited
JCB Academy by LHC Design
Source: Morley von Sternberg
JCB Academy by LHC Design
New Scotland Yard by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Royal William Yard, Plymouth, by Gillespie Yunnie Architects
Shelter From The Storm by Holland Harvey
Decarbonisation at scale
Lambeth Palace Masterplan by Wright & Wright Architects
Source: Hufton + Crow
Brampton House – Hotel to Homes by Co Create Architects
Dolphin Square by GRID architects
Lambeth Palace Masterplan by Wright & Wright Architects
The Sutton Estate by HTA Design
Meanwhile and grassroots
The Nest by Reed Watts Architects
Source: Fred Howarth
Cube Cinema by Jo Kelly with Cube Cinema volunteers
Eagle House by IF_DO
The Circular Kitchen by Stride Treglown
The Nest by Reed Watts Architects
The 2026 AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards are sponsored by
