The shortlist of six projects includes a revival of a traditional Welsh farmstead, a development of 20 new council homes and an ‘uplifting’ care home for people living with dementia.
Cardiff-based Pentan Architects appear on the list twice for its Severn View Park Care Home, which won the RIBA MacEwen Award in 2025, and for Iorwerth Jones, an affordable housing project for Cardiff County Council.
Rural Office designed the short-listed Pantybara as a revival of a traditional farmstead in Carmarthenshire for the practice’s principal, Niall Maxwell, his wife and their two sons.
The list includes two single dwelling schemes. Porthmadog House by Strom Architects creates a replacement house on a sloping coastal plot in north-west Wales, and Alma House by Benham Architects adds an extension to a Grade II-listed home dating back to the early 1800s.
Finally, the £2.6 million renovation of the East Wing of St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre, by Chambers Conservation, creates modern meeting rooms, a new chapel entrance and areas for spiritual guidance in the Grade II*-listed collection of buildings near Tremeirchion in Denbighshire.
St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre, East Wing by Chambers Conservation Limited, credit: TG Williams
RSAW jury chair Martin Hall, director at Hall+ Bednarczyk, said: ‘Covering the length and breadth of Wales, the shortlisted projects exemplify the talent shown by their architects and construction teams.
‘Whether solving important social needs in elder care and housing with high standards and compassion, responding creatively to historic buildings, or showing virtuosity in the design of one-off dwellings, the six shortlisted buildings are a credit to the nation’s building culture.’
Last year, only two out of six practices to be shortlisted were based in Wales. London-based Manalo & White Architects took home the 2025 prize for its conversion of a Grade II-listed Victorian Church in Bangor into a community arts centre.
This year, three Welsh practices are among the finalists for the country’s awards – the first stage of the region’s RIBA Awards 2026.
All projects shortlisted for RIBA regional awards will be visited by a jury, with the winners announced later this spring.
The winners will then be considered for several RIBA Special Awards, including the RIBA Sustainability Award and RIBA Building of the Year, before being considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award, to be announced in summer.
The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize – the UK’s best new building – will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects and announced in September.
The Stirling Prize winner will be announced in October.
Porthmadog House by Strom Architects, credit James Silverman
Shortlist for 2026 RSAW Welsh Architecture Awards
Alma House by Benham Architects
Iorwerth Jones by Pentan Architects
Pantybara by Rural Office
Porthmadog House by Strom Architects
Severn View Park by Pentan Architects
St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre, East Wing by Chambers Conservation