RIBA Gold Medal: Alum Níall McLaughlin awarded one of architecture’s most prestigious honours

Irish architect Níall McLaughlin has been awarded the (opens in a new window)2026 Royal Gold Medal for architecture, the UK’s highest honour in the field.

A graduate of University College Dublin in 1984, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) praised the renowned Dublin architect for a lifetime of work which showed “remarkable consistency”, and that was “shaped by a deep sensitivity to place”.

Noting McLaughlin's long-standing influence across architectural practice and pedagogy, it cited that his career of more than three decades reflected a consistent engagement with the cultural, environmental, and social dimensions of architecture.

Limerick Credit: Nick Kane

“Níall [is] a pivotal figure in contemporary architecture… whose work not only enriches the architectural profession but also addresses its evolving challenges. His projects challenge conventional notions of architecture and regeneration, illustrating a visionary approach that prioritises environmental and cultural considerations.”

Approved personally by the King of the United Kingdom, the Royal Gold Medal is bestowed on those recognised for having had a significant impact on advancing architecture.

Accepting the award, McLaughlin said his team and himself viewed “architecture as a continuity of practice across generations”.

“We are grateful to our teachers, who passed on the spirit, and our students, who continually question and transform it. As a small studio, we have grown and learned together. Thank you to all those who have collaborated with us and supported our ideals through commissioning, design, and construction.

“Through practice, we have learned that architecture is not the production of singular objects, but an ongoing performance of development, alteration, and reinvention through lived experience. At a time of accelerating technological change in design and construction, we continue to insist on the human rituals and material practices at the heart of our discipline.”

Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre (2018) Credit: Nick Kane

Among his work is the cloud-like Bandstand at Bexhill, East Sussex (2001); the calm orthogonal pavilions of the Alzheimer’s Respite Centre in Dublin (2011); the latticed timber oval of the Bishop Edward King Chapel in Oxford (2013); and the simple brick volumes of The New Library Magdalene College (2021) in Cambridge which won the 2022 Stirling Prize.

This is the fourth time that architecture graduates from UCD have won a RIBA Royal Gold Medal.

In 2019, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara were named as recipients, becoming the only female partnership to have won the prestigious award in its 171-year history.

And in 2015, Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey, who were professors at the UCD School of Architecture at the time, received the honour.

In 1975, Michael Scott of (opens in a new window)Scott Tallon Walker won the (opens in a new window)RIBA (opens in a new window)Royal Gold Medal.

Fishing Hut (2015) Credit: Nick Kane

An architect, educator, and writer, McLaughlin is a professor of architectural practice at the Bartlett School of Architecture and has been a visiting professor at the University of California, and was appointed Lord Norman Foster Visiting Professor of Architecture at Yale, 2014-2015.

In their citation, the 2026 RIBA Honours Committee said McLaughlin's own educational experience at University College Dublin is a constant referent when he discusses his approach to design, and underpins the intense ideation of materials in his projects.

House at Goleen (2009) Credit: Nick Guttridge

“Always one to credit and uplift those around him, it is fitting that Níall is recognised for the resounding impact he has had on the profession,” said Chris Williamson, RIBA President and Chair of the 2026 RIBA Honours Jury.

“As an educator, he has been an outstanding role model for young architects, while his designs - eclectic in appearance and use - share a sense of care and grace that represent the very best of architecture.”

By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations