Wrap House, an origami-roofed extension to an Edwardian house in London by Alison Brooks Architects, has won the Stephen Lawrence Prize sponsored by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation. The announcement was made tonight at a special awards ceremony for the Stirling Prize in association with The Architects’ Journal at the Roundhouse in London.

The Stephen Lawrence Prize is sponsored by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation and rewards the best examples of projects with a construction budget of less than £1 million.  This is the ninth year that the award, named in memory of the murdered black teenager who planned to become an architect, has been given.

David Adjaye, one of the judges, and Stuart Lawrence presented Alison Brooks with a cheque for £5,000 on behalf of Marco Goldschmied whose foundation also funds a £10,000 bursary to help train young black architects.

The Stephen Lawrence judges – Marco Goldschmied, Doreen Lawrence, David Adjaye and David Taylor said:

“We were immediately taken with the passion and joy of this Chiswick house extension. Its subtle geometry creates a series of high quality spaces, formed of well-chosen materials, which are a tribute to the design team’s skill and flair. The building’s intelligent, effortless connection to the Edwardian house has transformed it, adding value, while satisfying a client on a tight budget.”

The Wrap House embraces its outside spaces elegantly and effectively, integrating an old tree into the wooden decking and treating the roof as a dynamic and beautiful elevation in its own right. The origami-like roof appears to fold and allows views of the back garden from the master bedroom.  The scheme was undoubtedly helped by the good fortune, in the UK planning system lottery, of having a planning officer who clearly understood the value of good design. But in the end the entire project is a tribute to the clients, who never even considered the contractor-led procurement route all too common for UK ‘back extensions’. Their commendable approach is one to be fully supported and endorsed.”

 The winner beat strong competition from four other contenders:

1.      Broughton Hall Pavilion, Skipton by Hopkins Architects

2.      Pinions Barn, Buckinghamshire by Simon Conder Associates

3.      The Davies Alpine House, Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, by Wilkinson Eyre Architects

4.      Lock-keeper's Graduate Centre, London E1 by Surface Architects