The Royal Academy of Arts masterplan has been awarded the AJ Retrofit Award in the best cultural building £5 million and over category at a ceremony in London on 11 September. The jury highlighted the sensitivity of the project as well as its functional transformation, calling it ‘a stand-out example of intervention and restoration’. The jury also pointed to the increase in visitor numbers for the RA, which has gone up by over 50% since opening its expanded campus in 2018.
The masterplan involved connecting the Burlington House and Burlington Gardens sites in both physical and ideological terms. Promoting the refurbishment of the two Grade II* listed buildings, the masterplan drew on the existing building structures, opening previously closed off areas while introducing a series of punctual interventions that range from repair and restoration to the introduction of contemporary elements.
Image © Simon Menges