Architect of the Year Awards 2026 Finalists

FaulknerBrowns has been shortlisted in three categories at this year’s Building Design Architect of the Year Awards, reflecting the range of our work – from the renewal of nationally significant sporting and cultural landmarks, to new civic destinations and community-focused leisure facilities.

These annual awards recognise projects that speak to design quality and measurable contributions to people and place. We have been shortlisted for Public Building Architect of the Year, Radical Retrofit and Reinvention Architect of the Year, and Retail and Leisure Architect of the Year.

Shaping civic and cultural life

Our Public Building submission is anchored by projects that create spaces for culture, learning and social exchange:

Blyth Market Pavilion is a cultural centrepiece of the £90m Energising Blyth programme, blending cinema, performance and community space to re-energise the historic market square.

Our sensitive renewal of Newcastle’s Grade I listed Grainger Market has improved accessibility and flexibility, whilst supporting local traders and opening up space for events and evening activity.

Culture House, due to open soon in Sunderland, will unite libraries, creative spaces, digital facilities and areas for making within a highly inclusive civic building.

Retaining value, reducing impact

Our approach to retrofit and reinvention is demonstrated through three very different projects:

At Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, we are part of the Morgan Sindall team restoring a nationally significant modernist landmark with major fabric and systems upgrades, targeting a drastic cut in operational carbon.

At Kings Hall Leisure Centre, we are reimagining a Victorian public baths in Hackney through heritage-sensitive reuse and all-electric systems to deliver a fully inclusive leisure hub for the community.

Mundy Park Pool is a recently renewed community aquatics centre in Canada, where accessibility, cultural expression and sustainable systems have combined towards establishing a new low-carbon public facility.

Redefining leisure destinations

Recognition in the Retail and Leisure category reflects our commitment to inclusive, future-ready spaces for recreation:

Woolwich Waves is an ambitious, recently opened leisure centre in London, delivering pools, sports halls, family facilities and cultural space on a constrained urban site, developed through extensive engagement with local communities.

The Sport Ireland National Velodrome and Badminton Centre is currently under construction. This project is part of the Sport Ireland Campus Masterplan Vision and introduces Ireland’s first velodrome, as well as a new badminton hub, alongside spaces designed for wider community use.

Crystal Palace National Sports Centre also contributed to this category for the way it adapts a historic sporting venue to contemporary needs while protecting heritage character. Mundy Park Pool strengthened the Retail and Leisure submission even further, having set a benchmark for sustainable design and inclusive access.

Across all three categories, these projects share a common thread in design that responds to people and place, reduces environmental impact, and extends the life of our built environment. We are proud of every project included and look forward to celebrating alongside our peers at the awards ceremony in October.

Read more about each practice and project shortlisted here.