Níall McLaughlin receives the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture 2026

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has awarded Níall McLaughlin the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture 2026, presented annually on behalf of His Majesty the King and considered one of the highest honours in the world of architecture.

The announcement goes beyond the simple celebration of a successful career: it affirms the value of a vision of architecture understood as a cultural, ethical and collective practice. Speaking on behalf of the President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Chris Williamson stated: «It is right that McLaughlin — founder of Niall McLaughlin Architects —who is always ready to value and encourage those around him, should be recognised for the extraordinary impact he has had on the profession. As an educator, he has been an exceptional role model for young architects, while his projects, eclectic in appearance and use, share a sense of care and grace that represents the very best of architecture».

Níall McLaughlin: architecture as an act of care

Born in Geneva in 1962, and raised and educated in Dublin, McLaughlin has carried with him since his university years at University College Dublin a sensitivity deeply rooted in materiality and construction. After working at Scott Tallon Walker, he founded his own practice in London in 1990, which over more than thirty years has distinguished itself for its ability to operate with equal design intensity across very different scales, programmes and budgets. Here one of the most recognisable traits of his work emerges: coherence not as a style, but as an attitude.

The RIBA Honours 2026 jury described him as a “pivotal figure in contemporary architecture,” capable not only of enriching the discipline but also of engaging with its transformations. McLaughlin could be defined as a romantic modernist: rigorous in composition, yet open to history, memory and even echoes of classicism. His architecture plays with elementary geometries and restrained material palettes, entrusting light, proportion and construction detail with the task of generating emotion in the observer. From the Magdalene College Library — named the best building in the UK and winner of the RIBA Regional Award East and the RIBA National Award — to the Faith Museum at Auckland Palace and the Dirk Cove House on the west coast of Ireland, each project seems to arise from a deep listening to the physical and human context in which it is situated. As he himself has stated, originality often lies in silent elements: in the way a brick is laid, in the rhythm of a spatial sequence, in the relationship between inside and outside.

In his talk Six Pockets of Time, McLaughlin described architecture as a medium that embodies development and change, despite its apparent static nature. Buildings, for him, are collective performances that unfold over time, bearing witness to the continuity of community bonds. This vision takes on particular political and environmental significance today, when the care and transformation of existing heritage represent a priority that can no longer be postponed.

Alongside professional practice, teaching occupies an equally central place in his life. For over twenty-five years at the Bartlett School of Architecture, as well as through experiences as a visiting professor at UCLA and Yale, McLaughlin has helped shape generations of architects, promoting a model of architecture that is reflective, innovative and meticulously crafted. It is therefore unsurprising that, upon receiving news of the Royal Gold Medal, McLaughlin spoke of continuity between generations. In his words, success is never individual: it is the result of teachings received, of students who question, of collaborations and clients who share common values. This perspective helps explain why, despite prestigious recognitions— from the Charles Jencks Award in 2016 to an honorary MBE in 2020 — his humility remains intact.

RIBA President Chris Williamson highlighted precisely this quality: a humble visionary, capable of combining grace and care, leaving a mark destined to outlast fashions and fleeting cycles. Ultimately, this may be Níall McLaughlin’s most enduring lesson: reminding us that the best architecture does not shout, but endures. It lives over time, accompanies communities, educates those who pass through it. And for this very reason, today more than ever, it deserves to be celebrated.

>>> In 2025, SANAA received the Royal Gold Medal 2025

All images courtesy of RIBA