Níall McLaughlin wins Royal Gold Medal 2026
Architecture's highest honour, granted on behalf of His Majesty the King, celebrates Níall's resounding impact and lifetime achievement in advancing architectural practice, thinking, writing and education.
With over 30 years in practice, Níall’s body of work displays remarkable artistic constancy, seen regardless of project size or budget. What is shaped draws on a deep awareness of place, material, craft, light and form, with a continued commitment to the quality of space. Teaching has been integral to his practice from the start, with Níall describing his first role at Oxford Brookes as his introduction to any coherent architecture scene in the UK. His dedication to education also reflects his same sustained commitment to the future of architecture.
Royal Gold Medallist 2026 Niall Mclaughlin | Credit: Morley Von Sternberg
Discover more about Níall McLaughlin in 2026
Níall McLaughlin will be presented with his medal and be our guest speak on 30 April.
From 25 April until 7 June 2026, visit our Royal Gold Medal exhibition at RIBA North, Liverpool to explore how Níall's practice challenges conventional notions of architecture. Displayed models and studio material show just how his practice shapes and influences today's built environment.
About the Royal Gold Medal
RIBA's first ever President Earl de Grey proposed an annual medal for architecture and asked Queen Victoria to be the medal's patron. The medal itself has been produced consistently by the Royal Mint since 1848. The award is presented on behalf of His Majesty the King.
The Royal Gold Medal is given in recognition of a distinguished body of work by an individual or group making a substantial contribution to international architecture.
In 1848, the first Royal Gold Medal was awarded to Charles Robert Cockerell. Since then some of the most influential architects of the 19th and 20th centuries have been awarded the Royal Gold Medal.
Read more on the history of our Royal Gold Medal.
2025 recipient: SANAA
Pioneering sustainable, user-centred design for nearly three decades, SANAA, the collaborative practice of Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, received the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture 2025. The medal recognised their work to reshape the global design landscape, creating spaces that bring simplicity, light, and elegance to the fore.
Ryue Nishizawa (left) and Kazuyo Sejima, Royal Gold Medallist 2025 | Credit: SANAA
- 2025 SANAA, Japan
- 2024 Lesley Lokko, Ghana/UK
- 2023 Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan
- 2022 Balkrishna Doshi, India
- 2021 Sir David Adjaye, Ghana/UK
- 2020 Grafton Architects, Ireland
- 2019 Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, UK
- 2018 Neave Brown, UK
- 2017 Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Brazil
- 2016 Dame Zaha Hadid, UK
- 2015 Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey, Ireland
- 2014 Joseph Rykwert, UK
- 2013 Peter Zumthor, Switzerland
- 2012 Herman Hertzberger, Netherlands
- 2011 Sir David Chipperfield, UK
- 2010 I.M. Pei, China/USA
- 2009 Álvaro Siza Vieira, Portugal
- 2008 Edward Cullinan, UK
- 2007 Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Switzerland
- 2006 Toyo Ito, Japan
- 2005 Frei Otto, Germany
- 2004 Rem Koolhaas, Netherlands
- 2003 Rafael Moneo, Spain
- 2002 Archigram, UK
- 2001 Jean Nouvel, France
- 2000 Frank Gehry, USA
- 1999 City of Barcelona
- 1998 Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil
- 1997 Tadao Ando, Japan
- 1996 Harry Seidler, Australia
- 1995 Colin Rowe, UK
- 1994 Sir Michael and Lady Patricia Hopkins, UK
- 1993 Giancarlo De Carlo, Italy
- 1992 Peter Rice, Ireland
- 1991 Sir Colin Stansfield Smith, UK
- 1990 Aldo van Eyck, The Netherlands
- 1989 Renzo Piano, Italy
- 1988 Richard Meier, USA
- 1987 Ralph Erskine, UK
- 1986 Arata Isozaki, Japan
- 1985 Sir Richard Rogers, UK
- 1984 Charles Correa, India
- 1983 Sir Norman Foster, UK
- 1982 Berthold Lubetkin, Russia
- 1981 Sir Philip Dowson, UK
- 1980 Sir James Stirling, U
