The Elizabeth Line in London, designed by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, and AtkinsRéalis, has been named the 2024 winner of the Stirling Prize, which the Royal Institute of British Architects gives for best building completed in the United Kingdom. Prevailing over the other five teams shortlisted, the largest expansion to be carried out in London’s metropolitan railway network in over a century is being used daily by 700,000 commuters.

The complex project included platforms, tunnels, escalators, station concourses, signage, furniture, accessories, finishes, and supporting technology. It also involved developing 100 kilometers of tracks and 45 of tunnels, under the center of London. Ten new tube stations were created to service the line, each designed by a separate architecture practice but in collaboration with the main coordination group. Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, and AtkinsRéalis worked out the overall design framework to follow throughout the operation.

The Guardian. ‘A triumph’: London’s £19bn Elizabeth line is named best new architecture in Britain