William Sutton Prize

Building with Nature and The Green Partnership won £50,000 to develop a framework to improve the delivery of environmental, social and economic benefits through the introduction of biodiversity and green spaces.

Working with Clarion, the project aims to create a set of comprehensive and standardised practices which demonstrate ‘what good looks like’ when it comes to managing and maintaining communities for the benefit of people and nature.

Bell Phillips Architects were awarded £20,000 to take forward its proposal for a new ‘vernacular architecture’.

This new approach would see buildings under 11m made using timber frames with a low-embodied carbon facade system, made up of timber, hempcrete and lime render cladding, reducing embodied carbon in construction and encouraging the growth in timber and natural building products.

Mole Architects were awarded the Prize for their proposal for a zero-carbon homebuilding system designed to support the development of Group-Build community housing. The system sets out a step-by-step approach from land purchase to completed building, facilitating community-led housing and tackling associated barriers, with the aim of enabling greater numbers of people to come together to build their own homes.

Meredith Bowles, Founding Director and Principal at Mole Architects, said: “We’re committed to making this project happen no matter what, but winning The William Sutton Prize means that we can focus proper time and energy, which will give it a much greater chance of success.”

Pride of Place Living won with their proposal for a scheme that will provide multigenerational, lifelong and inclusive living for LGBTQ+ people in Leeds. LGBTQ+ communities are disproportionately affected by homelessness and social isolation, and Pride of Place Living will provide a safe and supportive living environment for its residents, helping to tackle these issues.

Jane Stageman, Chair of Pride of Place Living, said: “Winning the Prize will enable us to progress our project to the next stage, turning a concept into what we believe will be the UK’s first multigenerational LGBTIQ+ housing community.”

The Hackney School of Food is a collaboration between Chefs in Schools, the LEAP Federation, and architect Surman Weston. It provides ‘seed to spoon’ food education for primary school children in Hackney.

Polly Praill, Head of Development, Chefs in Schools, said: “From the outset, we wanted the Hackney School of Food to be replicated across many more school communities. The William Sutton Prize has enabled us to make this a reality by funding the development of a toolkit to equip and inspire others to create their own School of Food.”

Social enterprise Ecomotive and SNUG Homes won with their proposal for a construction and training hub in Bristol. The project will also provide apprenticeship, volunteering and employment opportunities.  

Anna Hope, Director of Ecomotive and SNUG Homes, said: “We would recommend anyone with projects or ideas in the field of affordable and sustainable housing to apply for this award - which is unique in its scope, vision and the practical support available to help turn ideas into reality.” 

Jas Bhalla Architects developed a planning policy to encourage high-quality brownfield development along nine key routes in Outer London.  

Jas Bhalla, Founder of Jas Bhalla Architects, said: “Winning will not only give us access to a lot of insight and support from Clarion, but the profile and recognition of the Prize will also help open doors to conversations with councils and the GLA.” 

Fat Macy’s is a social enterprise that gets young Londoners out of homelessness and into their own homes. It runs supper clubs and catering events that help its trainees move from temporary housing into rented accommodation. For every hour its trainees volunteer, Fat Macy’s saves money on their behalf to build housing deposits. It also provides valuable work experience.

Since winning The William Sutton Prize, Fat Macy’s has hired a new Tenancy Support Worker. It has also opened its first permanent venue in south London. This includes a commercial kitchen, restaurant space and deli.

Meg Doherty, Founder of Fat Macy’s, said: “We’re so grateful for Clarion’s support. The money will make a huge difference, enabling us to support even more young people through Fat Macy’s.”

It won with its proposal to increase the number of safe houses for vulnerable LGBTI asylum seekers and refugees.

Sebastian Rocca, Founder and Chief Executive of Micro Rainbow, said: “We work with a vulnerable group that is often unpopular. It combines sexuality, gender identity and immigration issues. These are issues that often make companies, funders and individuals uncomfortable to support. This was not the case for Clarion Housing Group. They proudly recognised our innovative and sustainable approach to the widespread issue of homelessness and violence faced by LGBTI asylum seekers.”

Micro Rainbow has gone on to secure social investment for further expansion. It now has 11 safe houses across England.

VeloCity is a group of professionals from the built environment sector. The team seeks to reimagine and redesign the village for the 21st century – promoting physical activity and car free environments. 

Petra Marko from the VeloCity team said: “Since winning the William Sutton Prize, we were able to expand our research on rural development to help bring our VeloCity vision closer to reality. We visited a number of case studies including Byhusene in Copenhagen, and in Denmark, an innovative car-free high density suburban development.”