Wadham's Back Quad Buildings shortlisted for the RIBA South Awards 2024

For 50 years the Royal Institute of British Architects' prestigious awards have championed and celebrated the best architecture around the world. Judged and presented locally, RIBA Regional Awards celebrate great architecture across the UK in particular.

In recent years, our Dorothy Wadham Building won the RIBA South Award and National Award in 2021. Now, our Dr Lee Shau Kee Building, home to the Locke Access Centre, and the William Doo Undergraduate Centre, are shortlisted for the 2024 RIBA South Award.

The combined Access and Undergraduate Centre was designed by Amanda Levete Architects to improve facilities and widen access at Wadham with a warm and welcoming building that sits in the College's historic quadrangle. The vision was for the architecture to embody the principles of access and educational aspiration.

The Back Quad buildings officially opened in October 2022, thanks to the hundreds of donors who contributed more than £17m towards their construction. Now, having been in use for over a year, the buildings meet the requirements for RIBA award eligibility.

"One of my favorite moments when a school visits", says Dr Hugh Munro, Tutor for Access, "is when you bring them into back quad because you see them pause. There's a sense that they're getting their heads around being in this place from the 1600s and then they are faced with this modern glass building. It's a brilliant opportunity to dispel assumptions and speak to what being a student here, now, is really like."

As you can see in our new virtual tour video, students have also spoken of the value in having hybrid study and social spaces.

RIBA South jury chair Jennifer Dyne, associate at David Kohn Architects, said this year's projects ‘proves the South to be ambitious at any scale.’

'From colleges to cottages, the shortlisted projects challenge conventions around re-use, materials, context, conservation and typologies, opening up conversations about setting, sustainability, and the stories behind each building.'

The winners will be announced in the spring, following visits by the judges. Find out more about the awards and the shortlisted buildings in the Architects' Journal.

Contact our Conference and Events team to enquire about our buildings and holding your event at Wadham.

Inspirational architecture

"It's everything we imagined." Project architect Amanda Levete shares her reactions on seeing Wadham's new Back Quad buildings for the first time since completion.

Prix Versailles nomination for Wadham buildings

The Back Quad Buildings were selected as finalists for the Prix Versailles, a prestigious international architecture prize.