Examination of the Year 2024 Events and Developments
In 2024, Architecture Today reflected on the year's highlights, with John Pardey's revisit of Turn End emerging as the standout project. With a design by Peter Aldington in 1967, this modest yet exquisite house and gardens exemplify a perfect marriage of building and landscape, standing as a testament to enduring architecture.
Turn End inspired Architecture Today to launch awards for buildings that stand the test of time. The winner of the residential category in this year's awards was Hollick & Bucknall House, designed by Proctor & Matthews, who were recommended by Peter Aldington 25 years ago. These exceptional projects, along with others, will be featured in a special edition of Architecture Today in February 2025, complete with updated photography by Timothy Soar.
The Regenerative Architecture Index (RAI), a partnership between Architecture Today and UK Architects Declare, was another notable development in 2024. Launched with the intention of pooling collective knowledge and benchmarking practices by their regenerative policies and practices, the Index initially seemed an ambitious endeavor, fraught with challenges. Nevertheless, architectural practices of all sizes submitted their entries, resulting in a compendium of best practices published in a milestone issue of Architecture Today. The Index can be viewed in its entirety on the new online platform regenerativearchitecture.org, with front-runners in each category announced at a celebratory event in Peckham.
Entries for the RAI 2025 are now open, encouraging participation from all interested parties. A highlight of the 2024 RAI celebrations was a competition for the most regenerative hat, judged by rock legend, climate activist, and professional polymath Brian Eno.
Highlights from the 2024 Architecture Today Awards for buildings that have stood the test of time include:
- Tom Bloxham from Urban Splash received an Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of their 30-year track record of revitalizing existing buildings.
- HAT Projects' Sunspot, a carefully balanced decorative shed in Jaywick Sands, Essex, fulfilled a much-needed space.
- The Boston Government Service Center, designed by Paul Rudolph, stands as a testament to his confrontational style amid threats of demolition.
- Marks Barfield Architects' Materials Library, aligned with the Climate Emergency, reshapes the practice’s approach to design, construction, and materiality.
- Hugh Strange Architects' Farmworker's House combines domestic and agricultural typologies to create a harmonious courtyard house on the north Cornish coast.
- Félicie Krikler, former director at Assael Architecture and RIBA Council member, outlines strategies to boost profitability, diversity, and job satisfaction, arguing that underselling is selling out.
- Gateway West/Gateway Central, designed by Gort Scott and Allies and Morrison, bridges the gap between London's fragmented past and a more connected future.
- RCKa's TNG Youth & Community Centre, winner of the 2023 Architecture Today Awards, is marked by its long-term impact and evolution, as evidenced by the testimonies of its creator, a former youth worker, and a formerly involved teenager.
Architecture Today's Editor-in-Chief expressed an opinion that investing in regenerative architecture practices, as represented by the Regenerative Architecture Index (RAI), could be a wise financial decision for the future of real-estate development, given the growing importance of sustainability in the building industry. In light of the success stories showcased in the 2024 RAI, such as Marks Barfield Architects' Materials Library and Hugh Strange Architects' Farmworker's House, an increasing number of architectural firms might be attracted to adopting regenerative policies and practices.
