Camden's Holmes Road homelessness studios win architecture award

The Holmes Road Studios project was completed last year, and is now one of the recent developments to be recognised in the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) annual regional awards.

Also recognised is the town hall's Caudale housing in Regent's Park, while other places honoured include the revamped Standard hotel opposite St Pancras station.

Camden's Holmes Road Studios open out into a shared courtyard (Image: Morley von Sternberg)

Designed by Peter Barber Architects, the RIBA jury were gushing about Holmes Road. Their report reads: "The architect's success is in their thorough understanding of the residents’ and staff’s complex needs and requirements, and ability to transform them into a place that feels like home."

Cllr Danny Beales, Camden's planning boss, said: “It is great Holmes Road Hostel and other council building projects have been recognised at the RIBA London awards.

"Since opening in 2020, Holmes Road Hostel has provided safe and secure accommodation for our residents experiencing homelessness. The modern facilities at Holmes Road allow its residents to build confidence again and get back to independent living, while accessing support and training.

The coloured doors of the Holmes Road Studios in Kentish Town are visually interesting (Image: Peter Barber Architects)

"It’s a really important part of our housing offer for residents, along with the brand new council homes we’re building and our “Camden Living” homes - homes offered at significantly reduced rents to help people already living and working in Camden to be able to continue to afford to live here.”

Summarising this year's London awards, the RIBA highlighted a trend to tackle the climate crisis in many of the winning entries, and also added: "Social housing once again features in the mix as the romantic quest for ways to build dignified affordable homes nudges its way towards reality.

Camden's Caudale housing scheme (Image: Stale Eriksen)

"Prominent tropes in this typology include courtyard arrangements and supplying tenants with their own front doors.All of this human-centred design points to a strengthening of architects’ compact with society, a trend that we are very happy and proud to celebrate."

Of the Caudale scheme in Regent's Park - created to house some of those displaced by HS2 rail works - the RIBA jury said: "The solution provides dual-and triple-aspect homes, intuitive layouts, and massing that gives excellent levels of indoor sunlight and natural ventilation."

The Caudale housing scheme in Regent's Park has some double and triple-aspect homes (Image: Tim Crocker)

The Standard by Orms Architects looms behind St Pancras (Image: Timothy Soar)

The lifts outside of the Standard in St Pancras stand out (Image: Timothy Soar)